The Huskies’ MVP
How Westbrook evolved from a scorer to UConn’s glue player
To her UConn teammates, Evina Westbrook is known as “mom” because of her knack for giving gifts and offering support and encouragement when it’s needed most.
But freshman Paige Bueckers also has another nickname for her: MVP.
“She’s our glue person,” Bueckers said. “On and off the court, she does anything in order for this team to win, in order for this team to be happy, in order for this team to feel like a family.
She’s a leader.”
Few players are as integral to the Huskies’ success as Westbrook, a redshirt junior who sat out last season after transferring from Tennessee. She’s emerged as an unsung hero, a relentless competitor whose do-whatever-it-takes mindset embodies the
group’s selfless nature.
“She’s very selfless,” Bueckers said. “She doesn’t care about individual stats. She’ll sacrifice anything for us, really. That’s all we can ask for a teammate.”
The 6-foot guard does a lot of the dirty work, making it easier for stars like Bueckers to thrive. Westbrook ranks second on UConn in assists (4.2) and third in both rebounds (5.1) and minutes per game (29.3).
As the No. 1 Huskies begin their march to a 12th national title in Texas, what Westbrook brings to the floor cannot be overstated. Just ask her teammates.
“She’s really taken pride and embraced her role on this team,” junior guard Christyn Williams said. “We need somebody to do the dirty work.”
Westbrook, the former No. 2 recruit in the country behind Megan Walker, has grown and evolved since arriving in Storrs in 2019. She used to think in order to be a good player, she had to score. And while she did that well at Tennessee, averaging 14.9 points as a sophomore in 2018-19, her focus is no longer singular.
She’s put herself in the conversation to be a WNBA first-round pick. She was projected to go No. 12 to the Las Vegas Aces — the final pick of the first round — in ESPN’s latest mock draft.
Only three players in program history have declared for the draft early — Morgan Tuck in 2016, Azura Stevens in 2018 and Walker in 2020 (Yes, she would have been on this team) — though the trend is becoming more common in the women’s game.
“Coming here, my role right now is I need to do whatever my team needs me to do,” Westbrook said. “Whether that’s I need to guard their big man and box
her out every single time because she’s averaging 15 rebounds a game … or setting screens and things like that. For me, it’s more than scoring. Although people don’t get a lot of recognition for it, that’s what makes our team, when everyone does what they’re supposed to do.”
This season, Westbrook has taken a backseat in scoring, averaging 9.2 points. With a dynamic supporting cast, including AP First Team All-American Bueckers, Williams and junior center Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Westbrook has been able to concentrate more on facilitating and less on being a playmaker.
After reaching double figures in nine of the first 12 games, she’s done so just twice since, scoring 12 against Seton Hall and 16 against Butler. Her seasonhigh is 19 points in the loss to Arkansas. But she’s second on the team with 47 steals, and her advanced defensive metrics are even more impressive. Westbrook is fourth in the country in defensive
win shares and 18th in individual defensive rating.
“I know I’m always going to produce for my team if it’s zero points or 30 points,” she said. “You know I’m going to do what my team needs.”
Westbrook, 22, has been equally valuable off the court. She’s embraced her role as the team’s elder stateswoman. For Valentine’s Day, she surprised each of her teammates with a personalized T-shirt.
“Anything you need, you can go to Evina,” freshman guard Autumn Chassion said. “If you’re sick, she’s taking care of you. She’s finding you the medicine you need, bringing you Gatorade — anything you need.”
“As everyone knows, my kids call me ‘mom’ and things like that,” added Westbrook. “I really do feel like they’re my kids, they’re my little sisters. It’s my job to make sure that all of them are OK whether that’s on the court, off the court back in the apartments, when we’re going out to eat, whatever it may be. I feel like it’s my job to make sure that everything is in line and everything is OK, everyone is OK.”