UConn commit Bueckers is HS athlete of year

The trophy case keeps growing for Paige Bueckers.

The UConn-bound point guard added yet another award to her collection Friday, as she was selected the Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year. All individual female sports winners were eligible for the award.

“This is CRAZY!! Bueckers wrote on Twtter following the announcement. “First all Glory to God He has helped me achieve things I couldn’t even dream of. A huge thank you to Gatorade for naming me fit for this award. There were so many people that deserved this award just as much as me. So it’s a blessing to be the one chosen!”

She is the first female basketball player to win the award since 2014.

Bueckers, the top-ranked player in her class, had already been named a 2020 McDonald’s, SLAM and Jordan Brand Classic AllAmerican, in addition to Naismith Prep, WBCA, and Morgan Wootten Player of the Year.

Gatorade had also honored Bueckers previously, naming her the Minnesota Player of the Year for the third time and National Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Bueckers, 18, is the fourth UConn player to win Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year, following Tina Charles, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart. The award recognizes high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.

The 5-foot-11 Bueckers averaged 21 points, 9.2 assists, 5.2 steals and 5.1 rebounds per game for Hopkins

High in Minnetonka, Minn., this past season. Her team posted a 30-0 record and reached the Class AAAA state championship game, which was canceled over coronavirus concerns.

Off the court, Bueckers organized a series of youth basketball clinics, called “Buckets With Bueckers,” in Minnesota and Montana, while raising funds for local charities via donations and corporate sponsorships.