Paige Bueckers’ rookie season in the WNBA league has led to her being named Rookie of the Year. Despite coming back from an ACL injury in her junior year and being out for a year now, she was the number one pick in the draft.
She is one of only 15 rookies in the WNBA to average at least 18 points per game.
Before UConn, she was the number one-ranked recruit. She was also the Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year in 2019-20, but not just that, she was also a three-time Gatorade Player of the Year. She played 5 seasons of varsity at Hopkins High School, averaging 21 points, 9 assists, 5 steals, and 5 rebounds per game.
She led her high school team to a 30-0 record and the Class AAAA state championship game, but unfortunately, it was canceled due to COVID-19. She played AAU with North Tartan, which was located in Marianapolis, Minnesota.
In her first year at UConn, she averaged about 20 points per game. She was the first freshman to earn the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, AP player of the Year, and the USBWA player of the Year. She also led the Huskies in points, assists, steals, and three-point field goal percentage.
In Paige’s sophomore year, she averaged 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. Unfortunately, she missed 19 games due to an ACL injury in her junior year and was out for the rest of the year.
As a Red-Shirt Junior, a student athlete who was out of official games for the whole season, she started all 39 games after her injury and was dropping 21 points, 5 rebounds, 150 assists, and 86 steals in total. Bueckers recorded four double-doubles, all in the postseason.
She scored in double digits in 38 games, including the 27 games with 20+ points, and scored 17 points in the NCAA Final Four against Iowa.
In her last year at UConn as a Red-Shirt Senior, she started and appeared in 38 games, led UConn with 19 points per game, and made 176 assists. She continued to score double digits in 36 games, including 20 games with 20+ points.
UConn won the National Championship in 2025, which was also Paige’s last year at UConn, meaning a lot to her and her teammates.
“Paige has the best resilience, but not just that, it’s also her incredible skills she brings to the court. She’s an exceptional playmaker with very good court vision that allows her to create opportunities for her teammates. She’s consistently scoring, making her a threat to everyone. Her smooth jumpshot, ability to finish around the rim, and her ability to come in clutch moments make her the most exciting player in the game,” said Oakmont teacher and coach Mrs. Sinclair.
Paige is now in the WNBA, averaging at least 18 points per game, and she is one of the only two rookies, along with last year’s Rookie of the Year, Caitlin Clark.
