Paige Bueckers has been making a name for herself ever since her high school career.
Bueckers was the Naismith Girl’s High School Player of the Year in 2020 and named the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year back-to-back in 2018 and 2019. She played for the USA youth U16 and U17 national teams, winning gold twice at the World Basketball Cup and FIBA Americas Tournament.
In high school, Paige was ranked as the number one overall recruit in the class of 2020, eventually committing to Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies on April 1, 2019. In her first game repping the red and blue, she played 36 minutes and shot 8-11 on FG, scoring 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds, five assists, and five steals.
In her freshman season, Paige put up monster numbers and averaged 36.2 minutes, 20 points per game, and 46.4% from deep while simultaneously leading UConn to their 13th consecutive final-four appearance.
Her sophomore season started great, scoring 20 or more points in 5 of 6 games, but she was quickly met with a huge setback. During a game on Dec 5, 2021, against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Paige suffered an anterior tibial plateau fracture and torn meniscus, constraining her from the court until February.
Once back from her injury, Paige once again led her team to the final four and took a trip to the national championship game-though the huskies would fall to the South Carolina Gamecocks 64-49.
It would only be a matter of time before Paige would face another devastating complication in her career.
On August 1, 2022, Bueckers tore her left ACL in a relaxed pick-up game just months ahead of her highly-anticipated junior season, forcing her to sit out again—this time for the entire season.
While it seems as if Paige Bueckers’ career has been a bust, it most certainly has been the opposite. Aside from her astounding stats, Paige has won an ESPY award for Best Female College Athlete (2021), the John R. Wooden Award (2021), and Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year in 2021.
Paige has also been a significant winner in the Name, Image, and Likeness industry, inking deals with Crocs, StockX, Bose, Gatorade, Chegg, and most recently, Nike. Her NIL value is around 637,000 dollars, the fourth most in women’s basketball and sixty-second best in the NIL Top 100 on On3.
Paige Bueckers is the epitome of never backing down. From ending her freshman year as arguably the best women’s college basketball player to getting injured and missing time her sophomore year, then tearing her ACL her junior season, she never gives up. Now, as her senior season is quickly approaching, be on the lookout as Bueckers looks to redeem herself and attempt to lead UConn to an NCAA Championship.
