Connecticut’s Bueckers voted player of the year
First freshman picked as best of women’s game
Paige Bueckers is in a class all by herself.
Connecticut’s star guard became the first freshman to win The Associated Press’ women’s basketball player of the year award Wednesday.
Bueckers helped lead the Huskies to their 13th consecutive Final Four with 28 points in the regional final win against Baylor on Monday night, just the latest star turn for the phenomenal 19year-old Minnesota native.
“It’s amazing, surreal for people to think of me that highly and to be in that position as a freshman,” Bueckers said. “To get this award, I’m extremely humbled and grateful.”
Bueckers was informed that she had won the award by coach Geno Auriemma during a team video session Monday. She broke down as she accepted it in front of her teammates.
“A lot has happened over the past year, things that could bring people down,” Bueckers said. “To get a reward and find something positive in these times, you cherish them. I was there with my teammates and coaching staff, and to get that award with them around me makes you be so grateful for the position I’m in.”
Bueckers was an overwhelming choice, receiving 21 votes from the 30-member national media panel that chooses the weekly AP Top 25. Dana Evans of Louisville was second with four votes; Rhyne Howard of Kentucky received two votes; and Michigan’s Naz Hillmon, Texas’s Charli Collier and Iowa freshman Caitlin Clark all received a vote.
Maryland
Coach Brenda Frese was honored as the AP women’s basketball coach of the year for the second time in her career. Frese received eight votes from the 30-member national media panel. Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer and N.C. State coach Wes Moore each received seven votes.
Florida
Forward Omar Payne entered the transfer portal and became the fifth player to leave coach Mike White’s program since the end of the season. The 6-foot-10 Payne joined shooting guard Noah Locke, backup point guard Ques Glover and reserve forward Osayi Osifo in looking to play elsewhere next season. Star point guard and leading scorer Tre Mann entered the NBA draft with plans of hiring an agent, meaning he has no intention of returning to school for his junior season.
Michigan
The Wolverines fell short of the Final Four, but they stood out in a study that seeded the NCAA tournament fields based on academics and diversity. Michigan was the only school to claim a No. 1 seed in both the men’s and women’s brackets released Wednesday by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports at Central Florida, with the study crowning the Juwan Howard-led Wolverines the men’s national champion for the second consecutive year.
On the women’s side, Gonzaga was named national champion and nearly joined Michigan as the only school with a No. 1 seed in both of the brackets. Mark Few’s men’s team was a No. 2 seed. The study focused on team Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, GSR gaps between white and Black players, and the racial or gender diversity of head coaches.
Connecticut
James Bouknight’s short, consequential career has come to an end. He announced his long- anticipated decision to enter the NBA draft. Bouknight, a 6foot-4 sophomore, is projected by most draft analysts to be a top-15 or lottery pick, even though he struggled late in the season in the Huskies’ biggest games. The NBA evaluates potential, not game-by-game college results.
Elsewhere
Referee Bert Smith, who collapsed early in the first half of Tuesday night’s Elite Eight matchup between Gonzaga and USC, was alert as he was placed on a stretcher and moved off the court at Lucas Oil Stadium. The NCAA’s said he left the game with a medical issue. On the TBS broadcast, rules analyst Gene Steratore said Smith was felt lightheaded and was being tended to. According to the NCAA, Smith was not transported to a hospital.