UConn's Paige Bueckers Isn't Slowing Down Any Time Soon

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Paige Bueckers has been a big name in women's basketball since becoming a UConn Husky back in 2020. And despite a few injury-riddled seasons she's now well into her third season on the court, topping charts left and right, and proving that she’s still one of the top players in the country.

On November 8, the student-athlete made her long-awaited return to the lineup after having to sit out of her junior season and some of her sophomore season due to two separate knee injuries. But despite her time away from the game, she’s the No. 3 women’s college basketball player, and is the projected third pick in the outlet’s 2024 WNBA mock-draft, according to ESPN.

The starting guard has not revealed whether or not she will be leaving Storrs to play for one of the 12 WNBA teams, but it’s safe to say she’ll be successful whether she continues her college career or heads off to play against the best of the best.

She teased the uncertainty on her Instagram page before the season kicked off. "Senior year¿?😁," she wrote.

So, where did this superstar basketball player come from? Ahead, more on Paige and how she got her start on the court.

She’s from Minnesota.

Paige was born in Hopkins, Minnesota, per ESPN. She attended Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, and was ranked the number one recruit in her class throughout the entire country by ESPN.

She’s been playing basketball since she was five.

Basketball has been a constant in Paige's life since she was a little girl. Her dad tried to get her to try out other sports, but she made it clear by age five that basketball was the sport for her, per Bleacher Report.

A few years later, in fourth grade, people were already noticing her impressive skills, and by seventh grade, she was playing ball with the high schoolers. She made the high school varsity team by eighth grade, the publication says.

Paige went on to dominate the courts during her high school basketball career. During her junior year, she was the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year, and was a finalist for Gatorade National Player of the year (a program that recognizes the most elite high school athletes in the country), per SBNATION.

Along with making headlines for her impressive game, her high school career ended with a bang (or, a slam) as she became the first female high school athlete to be on the cover of SLAM magazine. At the time, only a few women, like former UConn Husky star Maya Moore and current WNBA Champion Candace Parker, have been featured on the magazine's cover since it first launced in 1994, according to SBNATION.

The publication tweeted the cover with the caption, "PAIGE BUECKERS. The one and only. The No. 1 HS player in the country covers SLAM 226."

In 2018, Paige became a member of USA Basketball and was selected to play in a variety of events before beginning her college career, per USA Basketball. Those events included:

• 2019 USA U19 World Cup Team

• 2019 USA 3x3 World Beach Games Team

• 2019 USA 3x3 U18 National Championship

• 2018 U.S. Youth Olympic Games Team

• 2018 USA U17 World Cup Team

• 2018 USA Basketball 3x3 U18 National Championship

• 017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship

She has three siblings.

Paige has three younger siblings: Ryan, Drew, and Lauren, per USA Basketball.

She plays at the University of Connecticut.

Paige was one of the most-anticipated players coming out of high school, and in 2019, she announced that she committed to play basketball at UConn under successful head coach Geno Auriemma.

“I think my talents will be maximized under Coach Geno," Paige said to ESPN in 2019 when discussing joining UConn’s squad.. “UConn appealed to me, and it appealed to my family.”

"As a kid, UConn was my dream school. Seeing them win all those national titles and then visiting campus and seeing them up close, it was everything I've dreamed of and more,” she explained.

The All-American told ESPN that she thought highly of UConn’s campus because “the women's team is loved on campus. Women's basketball is what UConn is known for, and it's not like that at other schools. To see that support for women's sports is awesome."

The guard started her collegiate basketball career with the Huskies in 2020. Despite the transition from high school to college ball, her game only got better. In fact, she became the first player to win both the Big East "Freshman of the Year" and "Player of the Year" in the same season, according to Sporting News.

Paige started and played in 29 games and became the first freshman to earn the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, AP Player of the Year and USBWA Player of the year, per Uconn Huskies. The student-athlete also led her team in points, assists, steals, and three-point field goal percentage.

“She’s a great teammate. She’s easy to coach and be around with her teammates,” Geno said about Paige during her freshman year to UConn Today.

Paige only played in 17 games her sophomore season due to sustaining a lateral meniscus tear and tibial plateau fracture. She was named to the 2022 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team, per Sporting News.

Expected to return healthy and ready to make it to the Final Four, Paige tore her ACL in an off-season practice in August 2022. She had to miss the entire 2022-23 season, Sporting News reports.

In November 2023, Paige made her return to the court to help lead her team to a victorious season. So far, she’s averaging 19.8 points a game, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, per ESPN.

And to add to her growing list of career accomplishments, in December, she reached 1,000 career points during her 55th game, tying UConn legend Maya Moore as the fastest player in Husky program history to achieve this, according to CT Insider.

She’s 22 years old.

Paige is 22 years old and was born on October 20, 2011, according to FIBA Basketball.

She’s six feet tall.

Yep, this star was definitely made for the basketball court.

She’s had several injuries in recent years.

The basketball star has had an unlucky go with injuries during her time with UConn.

During the 2021-22 season, Paige suffered a tibial plateau fracture, resulting in her missing 19 games. Then, in 2022, she tore her ACL during a pickup game before beginning her junior year and had to miss the entire 2022-23 season, per Just Women's Sports.

Paige shared the heartbreaking news of her ACL tear on Instagram. She posted a series of pictures of her in Husky gear.

“It’s so so crazy because you work so hard to get back healthy, you feel stronger than ever, and you are playing your best basketball and with one sudden movement it all shifts. It’s hard trying to make sense of it all now but I can’t help but think that God is using me as a testimony as to how much you can overcome with Him by your side. Some little kid that just tore their ACL or had a major surgery might need this story P, because it’s going to be one hell of a comeback,” she wrote.

She acknowledged that there will be good and bad days on her healing journey and said, “but my absolute love for the game and Godly strength will get me back to where I need to be. I’ve worked too hard for the little kid in these pictures to keep going for the dreams I've had since I first picked up the ball, so why would I stop now?”

Paige told followers that she has appreciated all the prayers and love she’s received. She concluded the caption by saying, “God put a dream in my heart and even if I have to walk through a nightmare to get it I’m going to keep believing. All love, P🤞🏼”

She had to take just about a year off from the preseason injury. It's pretty clear she was more than ready to get back on the court. She shared the news that she was "all cleared" in an Instagram post.

"All cleared and ready for takeoff🚀 369 days… GOD DID!," she wrote.

She has a slew of NIL deals.

Paige has a handful of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals with big companies like Gatorade, which she signed in November 2021. In fact, Paige became Gatorade's first NCAA partner, and in the announcement, the athlete said she was hoping to "drive impact in the community and on the women's game."

The basketball player posted a picture of herself wearing a Gatorade letterman jacket. "From fueling my first childhood sports moments to a dream come true. Blessed to officially become part of the Gatorade family⚡️🪣💃🏼 @gatorade," " she wrote in the caption.

In 2022, despite her injuries, Paige had NIL deals with an estimated valuation of $824,000, per Sports Illustrated.

In September 2023, Paige signed a multiyear NIL deal with Nike, which could potentially expand to her professional career, per ESPN. "I am blessed and honored to announce my partnership with Nike," in a statement on her Instagram story. "Joining the Nike family is a childhood dream come true. I can't wait to see what we accomplish together on and off the court."

Paige has deals with Cash App, StockX, Chegg, Crocs, and Bose, per Essentially Sports. She's also partnered with Taco Bell, CVS, the U.S. Army, and Dunkin.

Paige has won a ton of athletic awards.

If there's any doubt that Paige is an exceptionally good basketball player, take a look at all the athletic awards she's won:

All eyes will be on Paige as her team heads to the March Madness tournament in a few months.

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