The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
UConnbound Bueckers has big dreams
Incoming freshman says ‘I want to win four’
Paige Bueckers may soon be the biggest thing in women’s basketball.
Until then, she just wants to have fun, do what makes her laugh and not have to worry about being any type of savior.
“I’m getting all the crazy, sporadic things out of the way before I get to UConn,” Bueckers said Wednesday night on Instagram
Live.
Speaking with Breanna Stewart, the current WNBA and former UConn star, Bueckers admitted she still hasn’t gotten over the abrupt and immediate end to her high school career. The Eden Prairie, Minn., native was on her way to carrying Hopkins High School to a second straight championship when the state tournament was canceled because of concerns over the coronavirus.
“When I found out, I was torn,” Bueckers said. “We had worked so hard. We were 62-0 (over the last two
seasons). … I still haven’t fully recovered from that. It just feels so unfinished.”
Bueckers was the first guest on Stewart’s “Around the Block” Instagram Live show. The past and future Huskies spent an hour talking about basketball life and UConn.
Speaking on life during the coronavirus shutdown, Bueckers said staying busy has helped her cope. She drove 18 hours to stay with her closest friend, Azzi Fudd — the top-ranked player in next year’s class, and a UConn target — in Washington, D.C. Sporting new purple highlights, Bueckers said she and Fudd have been relaxing, working out, making “crazy” YouTube videos and doing whatever else it is that teenagers do these days to stay entertained while stuck at home.
Soon, Bueckers, one of the most celebrated high school players ever, will be off to Storrs. And the expectations surrounding the 18-year-old point guard, who has already graced the cover of SLAM Magazine, will be massive. No word on whether she’ll keep the hairstyle.
“(UConn associate head coach Chris Dailey) CD hasn’t seen it yet,” she joked.
Like Bueckers, Stewart once shouldered the weight of being ranked No. 1 in her class. She advised Bueckers to keep a strong support system — “You have to have a good circle around you,” she said — and not worry about being perfect. Easier said than done, of course.
“My freshman year (2012-13) was rough,” Stewart recalled. “I’m not going to beat around the bush. You’re going from one place, high school, and you’re going to completely uncharted territory, UConn. … I don’t think I ever thought it was going to be easy or anything like that, but (the coaching staff ) will push you to new heights. I had a few moments my freshman year where you’re just not sure.”
Stewart, of course, would go down as one of the most decorated players in school history, a four-time national champion and three-time national player of the year.
Naturally, Bueckers has similar goals.
“I want to win four (national titles),” Bueckers said. “That’s my goal and that should be everybody’s goal. Winning four championships, going undefeated all four years. I hate losing.”
“At UConn, we chase perfection,” Stewart told her. “So having that be your goal is not a problem.”
POTENTIAL UCONN-LOUISVILLE GAME PUSHED BACK
UConn and Louisville won’t be squaring off in 2020 because of the pandemic, head coach Jeff Walz told the Louisville media this week. The schools had discussed playing in a 9/11 tribute game at the Barclays Center, though nothing was ever finalized.
“Just because of what’s going on right now it’s probably more difficult to be able to get much of a crowd in there right now,” Walz said on a conference call. “So instead of just doing a wait-and-see, we’ve agreed to push it back for a year. We’ll hopefully get it worked out for next year and be able to get that up and going again.”
WESTBROOK GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT
Nearly five months after undergoing surgery on her left knee, UConn guard Evina Westbrook has been medically cleared, her mother announced on Instagram. The junior guard, who sat out last season because of NCAA transfer rules, has been rehabbing on campus.
UCONN LEGEND A FINALIST FOR HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Maya Moore, a six-time WNBA All-Star who is sitting out a second straight season to work on criminal justice reform, was named a finalist for the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award. In March, Moore, 30, helped overturn the conviction of Jonathan Irons, who had been incarcerated for 23 years in connection to a burglary and shooting.
The award will be presented during the ESPYS on June 21.