Future UConn teammates Bueckers, Griffin bonding at USA Basketball camp
Paige Bueckers and Aubrey Griffin will one day be teammates at UConn, where — if history holds — they’ll be chasing national championships. But for now, they’re competing for a different kind of title.
The pair of future Huskies are in Colorado Springs, Colo., where USA Basketball is holding trials this week for the U19 World Cup. Griffin, a 6foot-1 wing from New York, will be a freshman at UConn this fall, with Bueckers set to join the following season.
“It’s just really fun getting to meet her and being able to build a relationship with future teammates before I actually get there,” Bueckers said Friday by phone. “We’re already pretty close. I just can’t wait for us to get to UConn, then we can play with each other under coach Geno (Auriemma) in Storrs — the whole UConn experience.”
Despite being only 17, Bueckers is already one of the most heralded recruits in camp. The 5-11 point guard from Minnesota is the consensus No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2020 and was a finalist for the Naismith High School Player of the Year this spring. Her home paper, the Star Tribune, called her the best high school girls player in state history.
“She has a nice jump shot,” Griffin said. “She can pass the ball really well.”
Griffin, the daughter of former NBA forward and current Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, is a promising prospect in her own right. A McDonald’s All-American, she jumped to No. 21 in espnW’s Class of 2019 rankings after carrying Ossining High School to a state championship.
“She’s really athletic, a
really good on-ball defender,” Bueckers said. “She finishes well, and she’s got a good jump shot. She jumps out of the gym. She’s just really athletic and she does basically everything for the team.”
Griffin’s athleticism is well-documented. Her high school coach posted a video of her on Twitter narrowly missing a dunk at a recent all-star event.
“She’s like 6-foot, but she can play like she’s 6-4,” Bueckers said. “She’s just a really good player.”
“I’ve come closer before,” Griffin added, with a laugh. “I’ve dunked before, but it didn’t really count.”
Griffin and Bueckers initially met this time last year at the U17 trials, which were also in Colorado. They have a bit more in common this time around, as they bid to make the 12-player roster for the World Cup in Thailand ( July 20-28).
“I’m excited to get to play with her,” Griffin said. “I’m glad she committed to UConn.”
UConn has 10 scholarship players for next season, not including Tennessee transfer Evina Westbrook, who will need to secure a waiver from the NCAA to become eligible. In addition to Griffin — who plans to enroll in summer school soon — the Huskies are adding Polish guard Ania Makurat and former Murray State forward Evelyn Adebayo, who as a graduate transfer will be eligible immediately.
Bueckers is slated to join the program for the 2020-21 season along with Croatian guard Nika Muhl.
“She’s funny. She likes to joke around,” Griffin said of Bueckers. “We get along. She likes to dance and stuff.”
Bueckers is the fourth No. 1 prospect in six years to choose UConn, following Katie Lou Samuelson (2015), Megan Walker (2017) and Christyn Williams (2018). She had an opportunity to watch the trio last month at the Final Four in Tampa, Fla., where she was honored for winning a 3x3 championship with USA Basketball.
“It was really cool just to see it live, knowing that I’m actually going to be a part of what they do,” said Bueckers, who also attended the Final Four in 2018. “Two years ago, I didn’t know where I was going to go. I didn’t actually get to live the experience that this might be me in a couple years. It’s just really cool seeing what they do and how they do it and how successful they’ve been over the past couple years. It’s something I want to be a part of.”
Maybe, Bueckers will even convince a few friends to join her.
“I’m definitely trying to recruit and bring people that I can play with,” she said.