In her first game back, Bueckers came off the bench and registered eight points on 4-for-5 shooting in 12 minutes. The Huskies ended that season with a 28-2 overall record after losing to Arizona in the semifinals of the 2021 NCAA Women's Tournament. But yeah, I dont like our team without her on the court. [168] On November 28, Bueckers and her college teammate, Azzi Fudd, announced that they had signed deals with Nerf. UConn had to beat Creighton on Wednesday without its head coach after Auriemma stayed back in the locker room due to a non-COVID illness. She returned later in the season and averaged 14.6 points, four rebounds and 3.9 assists en route to leading UConn to the national championship game. So, Fudd is now UConn's only double-digit scorer returning. UConn is 51-6 all-time over Georgetown. She has raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Xfinity Series and was a 2014 NASCAR Drive for Diversity participant. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill). [123] While sidelined, she remained closely involved with the team, providing leadership and support for players. Thanks for contacting us. We dont have anybody for the first time other than Paige in a long time thats not available, Auriemma said. For those of you out of the loop,. [85][86] She was the first freshman to win the Nancy Lieberman Award as the top point guard in the nation. That doesnt necessarily mean Bueckers return to action is imminent. Media at the game described the crowd as going silent. The Hoyas' last win over UConn was on Feb. 27, 1993 in Washington. Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Caroline Ducharme added 14 points each. UConn star Paige Bueckers appeared to suffer a scary non-contact injury on Sunday during the Huskies win over Notre Dame. Check out Paige Decker's high school sports timeline including game updates while playing basketball and softball at Covenant Christian High School from 2010 through 2012. Bueckers missed 19 games before returning in late February. Im sure after todays practice, shell say she feels good.. Bueckers initially suffered the non-contact injury in the final minute of UConns win over Notre Dame on Dec. 5. 25 Tennessee", "Paige Bueckers to miss UConn women's game vs. Georgetown with ankle injury; Anna Makurat out indefinitely", "Paige Bueckers' career-high 32 points carry UConn women over St. John's with Christyn Williams sidelined", "Bueckers Scores 30 and Williams Adds 18 as Huskies Win at Marquette, 8758", "Paige Bueckers takes over to deliver No. The UConn women's basketball team was dealt a sizable blow on Wednesday. Things seemed to be going mostly well for the Huskies -- but then Dec. 5 happened. UConn earned its 14th consecutive Final Four trip and eventually made it to the 2022 women's national championship game against South Carolina. An MRI and CT scan revealed the injury, which is a break of the larger lower leg bone below the knee that breaks into the knee joint itself, according to the Reno Orthopedic Center. [69] Late in the game, Bueckers sprained her ankle, causing her to miss the next contest against Georgetown. [130], In October 2018, Bueckers won a gold medal for the United States in 3x3 basketball at the Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, helping her team win all seven of its games. The surgery at UConn Health repaired the anterior tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear that Bueckers, a 5-foot-11 sophomore at UConn, sustained in the teams home game on Dec. 5 against Notre Dame. It would be really hard to describe how much basketball means to Paige and how much her teammates mean to her. She was ruled out for her junior season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). It took her a few weeks to get back to the level she was at before. She went through that period where she was resigned to it and then angry about it and then frustrated about it and then down about it, and came out on the other side stronger for it and more determined than ever, Auriemma said. Hopkins finished with a 283 record and a runner-up finish at the Class4A state tournament,[a] where Bueckers was named to the All-Tournament Team. 1 UConn", "Auriemma: UConn women's players are 'smart,' 'socially conscious', "For UConn's Paige Bueckers, racism is personal", "UConn's Bueckers marches for her little brother's future", "Star UConn guard Paige Bueckers uses ESPYS speech to honor Black women", "UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers signs with Wasserman Media Group as NIL client", "A six-figure payday? She scored a game-high 27 points on 10-15 from the field, including 15 points in the two overtime periods (4-5 from the field and 6-6 from the free-throw line), and was named MOP of the Bridgeport Regional. UConn is 1-1 since Bueckerss injury, losing at unranked Georgia Tech last Thursday and beating unranked U.C.L.A. Were all devastated for Paige, head coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. UConn womens basketball blows out Georgetown in Big East Tournament Quarterfinals. Paige Madison Bueckers [1] ( / bkrz / BEH-krz; born October 20, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference . She came off the bench for the first time in her career and scored eight points, playing only 13 minutes due to a minutes restriction, in a 9338 victory. UConn womens basketball blows out Georgetown in Big East Tournament Quarterfinals. [37] That year, Bueckers moved to the Minnesota Metro Stars AAU program, following her former North Tartan coach Tara Starks. 6 Louisville on Sunday and a rematch at No. [28] She was named Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year, becoming the first sophomore to win the award since its creation 34 years earlier. UConn was up 18 points with about 39 seconds remaining in the game when . Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. [73] On February 27, Bueckers posted 20 points, a program-record 14 assists and seven rebounds in a 9768 victory over Butler. [95][96], On April 30, 2021, Bueckers underwent surgery on her right ankle to repair an osteochondral defect, joint damage involving the bone and cartilage. Working with the nonprofit branch of Chegg, she partnered with hunger relief company Goodr to host a free pop-up grocery market in Minneapolis to address food insecurity among college students. Could be (weeks). Auriemma explained postgame why he didnt put her on the bench. 74 Chevrolet for owner/driver Mike Harmon, but was one of four teams that failed to qualify. 1 South Carolina on February 8, 2021[67], On December 12, 2020, Bueckers made her collegiate debut for UConn, recording 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five steals in a 7923 win over UMass Lowell. Paige Bueckers. The seriousness of the injury was clear right away because she had to be carried off the court. Still, UConn will be without its best player for a long stretch of the season. [76], On March 21, Bueckers recorded 24 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals in a 10259 win over 16th-seeded High Point in the first round of the 2021 NCAA tournament. Bueckers finally looked like her old self during UConn's Elite Eight game against NC State. Other players working on recovery this offseason are Dorka Juhsz (wrist), Caroline Ducharme (hip) and Aubrey Griffin (back). Its amazing, surreal for people to think of me that highly and to be in that position as a freshman, Bueckers said. Supreme Court offers mixed response in NCAA compensation c Knicks-Celtics game shows what NBA is missing, NHL, players union failing in this important area, MLB's rule changes will only bring needless new degree of confusion, The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman, Amazin' But True: A NY Mets Baseball Podcast, Gangs All Here: A NY Jets Football Podcast, Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval have awkward moment amid cheating scandal, Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave. Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said he hoped it was nothing more than a "hyperextension," according to the Hartford Courant. [30][31] On March 16, despite having an illness that had caused her to vomit earlier in the day, she recorded 13 points, seven assists, five rebounds and five steals as her team won the Class4A state championship, 7445, over Stillwater Area High School. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Obviously, were all extremely disappointed for Paige and that she suffered this injury, Geno Auriemma said in a release. And if you can give me a better argument, then I would say Ill vote for them, too. So thats the goal.. At Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Bueckers was ranked as the number one recruit in her class by ESPN and received national high school player of the year honors. [37] Toward the end of the season, she suffered from a stress reaction in her right leg due to overuse. [17][18] She led her team in three-point shooting and ranked second in assists. Connecticut's Paige Bueckers is helped off the court after being injured against Notre Dame, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, in Storrs, Connecticut. With just seconds left in the game, Bueckers was dribbling up the court, stumbled and took an awkward fall. 9 UConn vs Georgetown. [166] On June 13, Bueckers announced a partnership with Crocs. Shes like our fourth, fifth coach on the bench.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. [6] The first practice for the race had rained out and she had one 90 minute practice to find speed. [120] As a sophomore, she averaged 14.6 points, four rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. [155][156][157] On April 4, 2022, her Instagram account reached one million followers,[158] making her reportedly the first women's college basketball player to achieve the mark. [169], In May 2022, Bueckers was named executive producer of WBB Takeover as part of a two-day basketball showcase hosted by the sports media brand Overtime. They are joined on the team by their younger cousin NASCAR Drive for Diversity driver Natalie Decker. Paige Decker - 2017-18 - Women's Basketball - Southern Connecticut State University Athletics Southern Connecticut State University Athletics #WeAreSC Main Navigation Menu Sports Men's Sports Baseball Basketball Cross Country Football Soccer Swimming & Diving Track & Field Women's Sports Basketball Cross Country Field Hockey Gymnastics Lacrosse No. When Bueckers went down, the Huskies were up by 18 and the game was effectively over. Injured UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers participated in pregame warm-ups and drills with her teammates Wednesday night at the XL Center. To get a reward and find something positive in these times, you cherish them. Decker was a student at the University of WisconsinStout and graduated in December 2016. Despite losing to South Carolina in the final, Bueckers put on a masterful performance with 14 points and six rebounds. 24 Notre Dame. 10:11 am ET, 2023 NCAA Women's Tournament: Conference Tourney dates, Clark among leaders in WCBB player of the year race, Women's bracketology: Utah climbs to the top line, Women's Top 25: South Carolina's streak continues, Clark hits game-winner to lift Iowa over Indiana, NCAA makes first NIL ruling in Cavinder case at Miami. [13] By that time, she was also playing year-round with North Tartan, an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) program competing in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, a national circuit. She also has a deal with the global sneaker and streetwear reseller StockX. Rehabs going great. Getting to the Final Four my freshman year and the national championship last year, the only thing left to do is win it. [32][33] Hopkins finished the season with a 320 record. [90] Bueckers recorded 168 assists, the most by a freshman in program history, despite a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not being able to do the thing that she loves to do, to be there for her teammates, is really difficult for her.. She posted 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a 7470 overtime win over Australia for the gold medal. View Paige Decker's career, season and game-by-game girls basketball stats while attending Covenant Christian High School. Paige Bueckers' freshman season at UConn has been a huge success. [71] Two days later, she scored 30 points in an 8758 win over Marquette. [97] She could not practice for most of the offseason while recovering from surgery,[98] but was cleared to return by October. Now when Paige and the rest of our players do come back, theres more people in the party instead of outside hoping to get in and feel like they belong here and can contribute not just when have to, but theyll be able to contribute as part of the natural flow of our offense., UConns Paige Bueckers to Miss at Least Eight Weeks After Surgery, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/15/sports/ncaabasketball/paige-bueckers-uconn-surgery.html. [65][91][93][94], Bueckers was named to the university's dean's list her freshman year, which required a GPA of at least 3.72, and was involved in social justice causes. The best insights from the ultimate insiders, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Coach calls out ESPN for not inviting best womens college basketball player to ESPYs, UConn back in national championship for first time in six years, UConn star leads program to 14th straight Final Four in wild double OT win, UConn womens hoop star cleared to return vs. St. Johns, Knicks-Celtics game shows what NBA is missing, NHL, players union failing in this important area, MLB's rule changes will only bring needless new degree of confusion, The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman, Amazin' But True: A NY Mets Baseball Podcast, Gangs All Here: A NY Jets Football Podcast, Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval have awkward moment amid cheating scandal, Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave. The first was with footwear and apparel marketplace StockX, specifically for the company's basketball and women's sports lines.