‘Elite company’

Bueckers joins Moore as the only players to be named Big East Player and Freshman of Year

Paige Bueckers’ legend keeps growing.

The UConn point guard won both Big East Player and Freshman of the Year on Thursday in a vote by the league’s coaches.

Bueckers, who averages a team-high 19.8 points and 6.2 assists, is the first freshman to sweep those awards since UConn legend Maya Moore in 2007-08.

“I’m in elite company — the best of the best, really,” Bueckers said.

Growing up in Minnesota, Bueckers watched Moore win four WNBA titles and an MVP with the hometown Lynx.

“Her, Lindsay Whalen, Rebekkah Brunson, I looked up to them and I would always go watch their games,” Bueckers, 19, said. “I was a really big fan. I had all the gear. Just for me to be in the same position that (Moore) was when she was here, that’s really why I came here. They get pushed to be the best.”

The top-ranked Huskies went 21-1, including 18-0 in conference play, and will face either St. John’s or Xavier in the Big East quarterfinals Saturday at noon at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Bueckers’ classmate, Aaliyah Edwards, won Big East Sixth Woman of the Year and joined her on the conference

all-freshman team. Junior Olivia Nelson-Ododa shared Defensive Player of the Year honors with Marquette’s Selena Lott, and UConn’s Geno Auriemma was named Coach of the Year, the 16th time in his 36 seasons in Storrs.

UConn junior Christyn Williams was selected to the all-league team, along with Bueckers.

Bueckers is the ninth Husky to land Conference Player of the Year in the last eight seasons. Breanna Stewart (2014-16), Napheesa Collier (2017 and 2019), Katie Lou Samuelson (201718) and Megan Walker (2020) did so in the American Athletic Conference.

In addition to scoring and assists, the 5-foot-11 Bueckers leads the Huskies in steals (2.4) and minutes per game (36.1), and is fifth in the country in 3-point percentage (47.6).

Bueckers became the first Husky to score 30 points or more three straight games last month, and also set the school’s single-game assists record with 14 against Butler on Feb. 27. Through just 21 games, she already holds the record for most assists by a UConn freshman with 131.

She was quick to give credit to God and her teammates and coaches for her success.

“Everything they did, they sacrificed for me,” she said.

Edwards, 6-foot-3 forward, is averaging 10.7 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting a conference-best 70.4%.

The 6-5 Nelson-Ododa leads the Huskies with 7.7 boards per game and paces the Big East with 40 blocks. She has seven double-doubles.

“I thought she should’ve been on the First Team when you look at her production,” Auriemma said of Nelson-Ododa. “Look at what she’s done all year long. You would say, ‘Wow, there’s nine other players in the league that had a better year than she did and contributed more to a team as good as ours?’ … I think she’s been incredibly consistent.”

Williams, the Big East’s Preseason Player of the Year, is second on UConn in scoring (15.4).

One Husky who was not honored, much to the disappointment of her teammates, was Evina Westbrook. The junior is averaging 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists, and has emerged as a key leader.

“If I could give awards, she’d have mine,” Bueckers said. “She’s our MVP, our do-everything person. This is on and off the court. She does so much for this team. She’s sacrificed so much for us.”

NO WORRIES

Auriemma isn’t too concerned about the NCAA Tournament being staged in Texas despite the state lifting its mask mandate.

“I’d probably be much more concerned if we had to interact with the general public, but we don’t,” he said. “I’m sure every precaution will be taken to make sure that our athletes and coaches and staff, administrators are safe.”

Auriemma said he’s thankful to be living in the Northeast, adding, “The fact that this whole pandemic thing has been one giant political fiasco, I guess I’m not surprised.”

MAKURAT RETURN

Sophomore guard Anna Makurat will be available to play in the Big East Tournament, but it’s uncertain for how long.

“There will be an opportunity to play her some minutes,” Auriemma said. “How much, I don’t know. I’m hoping that it’s 10 minutes … just enough to get her feet wet again.”

Makurat, who is averaging 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds, has been out since Jan. 21 with a stress fracture in her lower leg.

Kathy Willens / Associated Press UConn’s Paige Bueckers was named the Big East Player and Freshman of the Year on Thursday, joining former Husky Maya Moore as the only other player to do so.