- Paige Bueckers is good at basketball.
- Like, really very good in basketball.
- She’s so good that she’s doing something no UConn player has ever done before – and she’s just a freshman.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
We need to talk about Paige Bueckers.
The UConn rookie beat the nail-biter against the no. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks wrapped up in a spectacular manner and lost a three-point dagger with 10.8 seconds remaining time, giving the Huskies their biggest win of the season.
Paige Bueckers celebrates her triangular match for the no. 1 to win South Carolina Gamecocks.
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
As with most things, Paige Bueckers, there was a magic involved. The 19-year-old’s shot bounced off the back of the rim and bounced a good seven feet into the air above the backboard before splashing through the net.
“THE MAGIC OF PAIGE BUECKERS!”
—BIG EAST WBB (@BIGEASTWBB) February 9, 2021
Whether you get it with magic, sorcery or another amorphous noun, Bueckers’ command for the game undoubtedly has an intangible feature. Monday night’s shot was just the pinnacle of her brilliance, and it’s not lost on those who saw her play – including some of the titans of women’s basketball.
“If you look at how Paige plays, the first thing is that Paige just has a flair for the game and a weakness for her,” UConn legend and WNBA superstar Sue Bird told Insider last summer. “She can have an impact on that point in so many different ways.”
—UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) February 9, 2021
From the beginning of her collegiate career, Bueckers just did it. Her 17-point, nine-rebound, five-assist, five-steal performance in her Huskies debut was just a foretaste of what would come of the versatile first-year. She scored double figures in both games, except one, and averaged 5.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists.
And for every turnover which she hath delivered hitherto she hath prepared with a rod; she averages 2.6 per game in both categories.
“It’s still crazy for me,” Bueckers told ESPN. “Just the blessings I got, just the opportunities I got. It’s just so crazy for me to be playing big games like this with an amazing team and coaching team here in my big dream school. Day, every second, every minute, I’m very grateful to be here. ‘
Paige Bueckers.
AP Photo / Michael Woods
Now that she’s been in her team with Geno Auriemma’s team for a few months, she’s crying like never before at UConn. Bueckers has scored 30+ points in her last three games – including a 31-point performance against the best Gamecocks on Monday night – giving her the only player in the history of the program to score the three-point mark in three consecutive games.
—Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) February 9, 2021
“Lately, she’s led more of what we do instead of following,” Auriemma told Alex Philippou of Hartford Courant on Friday after Bueckers’ 30-point outing with Marquette. “I think she’s pushing and leading a little bit.”
“And she’s Paige,” he adds. “She’s about as good a player as she is in the country right now.”
Geno Auriemma watches as Paige Bueckers drops the ball on the floor.
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Many of the best talented women’s basketball went through Storrs on their way to the WNBA. But none of them – Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Swin Cash, Tina Charles, Jennifer Rizzotti, Rebecca Lobo, Renee Montgomery, Moriah Jefferson, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Morgan Tuck, Gabby Williams and Breanna Stewart – have ever does not accomplish Bueckers’ latest achievement.
And she managed to make it just 14 games in her career.
“She’s that player,” Auriemma said after Bueckers’ performance Monday night. “She’s the player that comes together that people talk about – ‘Hey, did you see that kid from Connecticut?’ She is that child. ‘