Bueckers is Big East Player of the Year
Auriemma is Coach of the Year and Shade is the top freshman
— Paige Bueckers was the Big East Conference Player of the Year as a freshman in 2021, then spent the next two seasons sidelined with injuries, missing all of last season with a knee injury.
On Thursday, UConn's Bueckers, a redshirt junior who has announced she'll return to the Huskies next season, reclaimed her title as Big East Player of the Year, becoming the eighth player in league history to repeat the honor and the fifth Husky to repeat.
UConn guard Ashlynn Shade was named Big East Freshman of the Year and Geno Auriemma the Coach of the Year.
Bueckers and senior forward Aaliyah Edwards were unanimously named to the All-Big East First Team, while senior guard Nika Mühl was selected to the second team. Shade was named to the honorable mention team and, along with KK Arnold, was unanimously tabbed to the all-freshman team.
Bueckers is averaging 20.7 points per game and shooting 54% for No. 9 UConn, which finished the regular season 26-5 and 18-0 in Big East play. The Huskies are the top seed for this weekend's Big East tournament at Mohegan Sun and will begin play in the quarterfinals at noon Saturday.
Also named to the first team were Lauren Jensen (Creighton), Morgan Maly (Creighton), Emma Ronsiek (Creighton), Kelsey Ransom (Georgetown), Liza Karlen (Marquette), Unique Drake (St. John's), Azana Baines (Seton Hall) and Lucy Olsen (Villanova).
Bueckers was also named Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday.
Auriemma was selected Big East Coach of the Year for the 12th time after leading the shorthanded Huskies to their 23rd regular-season title and 11th undefeated Big East finish. UConn lost five players to sea
son-ending injuries, with four of their nine remaining available players being true freshmen or redshirt freshmen.
Shade becomes the 14th Husky to win Big East Freshman of the Year honors and first since Bueckers did so in 2021. The rookie guard enters the postseason third on the team in scoring with 11.2 points per game.
Edwards has been one of the league's most dominant players this season.
She's averaging career highs with 17.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, leading the team in rebounding and field-goal percentage (.594). The Kingston, Ontario, native has recorded 16 double-doubles, with a career-high 33 points vs. St. John's on Feb. 4.
Mühl earns second team honors for the second straight season. She leads the Big East and ranks sixth nationally with 6.4 assists per game and averaged 7.7 assists per game in conference play.
In Big East games, Arnold led all freshmen with 2.3 steals and 3.0 assists per game while ranking third with 9.2 points and fifth with 3.1 rebounds per game. The Germantown, Wis., native ranked second among all league players in steals per game.
Edwards a McClain finalist
Edwards is one of five finalists for the 2024 Katrina McClain Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Thursday.
The Katrina McClain Award, in its seventh year, recognizes the top power forwards in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. It is named after the two-time All-American and 1987 National Player of the Year and Class of 2012 Hall of Famer.
One of UConn's most consistent players for the last two seasons, Edwards is averaging career highs in points per game (17.9) and rebounding (9.5) this year. She leads the team in rebounding and field-goal percentage (.594).
The Kingston, Ontario, native has recorded 16 double-doubles this season.
Against ranked opponents this season, Edwards is averaging 17.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 57.0%.
Edwards was unanimously named All-Big East First Team earlier on Thursday.
UConn alumna Napheesa Collier won the Katrina McClain Award in 2019.