[63] Megan Walker, UConn's top scorer from the previous year, had opted to forgo her senior season to enter the 2020 WNBA draft, leaving the 202021 team with no seniors. [7] Her father also began a new relationship and later had a son, Drew. Bueckers made the Class4A All-Tournament Team. [172] On July 13, 2021, she filed for a trademark on the nickname for use on athletic apparel, such as shirts, pants, jackets, footwear, hats and uniforms. Bueckers was informed she won the award by coach Geno Auriemma during a team video session on Monday. Bueckers has been out since injuring her knee on Dec. 5. [167] On September 19, she announced a deal with Bose. "The first thing that goes through your mind is the worst thing," Auriemma said. I kind of had a premonition that that first quarter was going to go the way it did. Join Facebook to connect with Paige Decker and others you may know. [61][62] Unlike Stewart and other former UConn stars, she became her team's leader from the beginning of her college career. Paige Bueckers, the reigning national player of the year in womens basketball, had successful surgery on her left knee on Monday, the University of Connecticut announced on Tuesday. 7 in the Associated Press poll, has 16 games before Feb. 9, including dates with No. [129] On December 10, 2019, she was honored as USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year. But. Monday will mark eight weeks since Paige Bueckers left knee surgery to repair an anterior tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear which was the estimated length of recovery provided by the school following the operation. [113] Her offensive production also declined from before her injury. In other injury news, Dorka Juhsz will return from a foot injury and Geno Auriemma explained why he missed the Creighton game. Weve had players get injured in the past and my philosophy here is, Im not interested in how fast we can get someone back; Im interested in whats best for them long term, he said. Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Caroline Ducharme added 14 points each. Decker is the daughter of Allen Decker who comes from a family of snowmobile racing riders. [116][117] In a 6449 loss to top-seeded South Carolina at the national championship game,[118] Bueckers was the only UConn player to score in double digits as she posted 14 points and six rebounds, and was named to the Final Four All-Tournament Team. Connecticut's Paige Bueckers steals the ball from Notre Dame's Sonia Citron on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, in Storrs, Connecticut. Eventually, the Huskies were able to adjust as senior guard Christyn Williams stepped up as the leading scorer. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Last season, she averaged 12.1 points per game while shooting 45.7% from the field and a team-best 43.0% from 3-point range. She was also an unanimous first-team All-Big East and Big East All-Freshman Team selection. But (the meeting is to figure out) when can she start being incorporated into some kind of workouts.. [13] By that time, she was also playing year-round with North Tartan, an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) program competing in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, a national circuit. Bueckers is impactful on both sides of the ball, and the Huskies will certainly miss that next season as they figure out their depth. So shes run the gamut., You can tell she has a lot more higher spirits, jumping around a lot more, getting on everyones nerves more, Azzi Fudd joked. I was there with my teammates and coaching staff and to get that award with them around me makes you be so grateful for the position Im in.. Getting to the Final Four my freshman year and the national championship last year, the only thing left to do is win it. Paige Decker | #21 | G | So. Although UConn lost Nelson-Odada and Williams, a healthy Bueckers alongside Fudd seemed capable of lifting the team to similar heights in 2022-23. Whos done more than her? [114] On March 28, at the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, Bueckers led her team to a 9187 double-overtime win over top-seeded NC State, as UConn reached its 14th consecutive Final Four. The other finalists she was considering were Notre Dame, Oregon State, Oregon, UCLA, Minnesota, South Carolina, Maryland, Texas and Duke. [159] In 2022, Bueckers was named to the Fortune 40 Under 40 list, which honors influential young people in business,[160] and The Athletic's College Sports 40 Under 40 list, which recognizes the most influential young people in the college sports industry. We've received your submission. [76], On March 21, Bueckers recorded 24 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals in a 10259 win over 16th-seeded High Point in the first round of the 2021 NCAA tournament. Bueckers was an overwhelming choice, receiving 21 votes from the 30-member national media panel that chooses the weeklyAP Top 25. Decker was a student at the University of WisconsinStout and graduated in December 2016. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). Italics Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. Bueckers helped lead the Huskies to their 13th consecutive Final Four with 28 points in the regional final win over Baylor on Monday night, just the latest star turn for the phenomenal 19-year-old Minnesota native. [56][57] By eighth grade and age 14, she had received scholarship offers from NCAA Division I basketball programs at Minnesota, Iowa State and Illinois. The Huskies walked away with a 91-87 win after surviving double overtime -- the first time ever in an Elite Eight game -- against the No. [3] The Decker family raced snowmobiles against the Danica Patrick family during the 1970s. [29], As a junior on February 1, 2019, Bueckers scored a career-high 43 points in a 6966 win over Wayzata High School and surpassed 2,000 career points. Every time somebody is out, that gives somebody an opportunity to step in, Huskies Coach Geno Auriemma said. This leaves the Huskies with plenty of uncertainty and gaps to fill. In her first season at UConn, Bueckers was a unanimous first-team All-American and became the first freshman to earn a major national women's college player of the year award, winning all four for which she was eligible. Despite losing to South Carolina in the final, Bueckers put on a masterful performance with 14 points and six rebounds. [87] Bueckers shared two major NCAA Division I freshman of the year awards with Caitlin Clark of Iowathe Tamika Catchings Award, presented by the USBWA,[88] and the WBCA Freshman of the Year award. [28] She was named Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year, becoming the first sophomore to win the award since its creation 34 years earlier. Bueckers missed most of her sophomore season with a left knee injury but led her team to the national championship game. To get this award, Im extremely humbled and grateful.. [124], Bueckers represented the United States at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Women's Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Obviously, were all extremely disappointed for Paige and that she suffered this injury, Geno Auriemma said in a release. The Slam magazine video", "AAU final wrap-up: Recounting the summer that was", "Best of the Prelims: North Tartan EYBL slips past Metro Stars", "AAU Awards: 2019 Player of the Year Paige Bueckers", "Father of UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers supports daughter through 'peaks and valleys', "UConn recruit Paige Bueckers dazzling, and indulging, Minnesota fans amid unprecedented attention", "Minnesota high school sports abruptly canceled, 'devastating' those involved", "Hopkins basketball star Paige Bueckers honored as McDonald's All-American", "Jordan Brand Classic lands in Chicago; no stub for Diamond Johnson of Neumann-Goretti (PA) named to girls' roster", "High school basketball state tournaments, postseason showcases canceled amid coronavirus concerns", "Extending the Season: Paige Bueckers one win shy of storybook ending", "One for all time: Hopkins' Paige Bueckers is first-ever three-time Metro Player of the Year winner", "UConn commit Paige Bueckers wins Gatorade Player of the Year award", "UConn-bound Paige Bueckers named Naismith Girls High School Player of the Year", "UConn signee Paige Bueckers named Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year", "Paige Bueckers adds Miss Minnesota Basketball to senior season honors", "Incomparable Paige Bueckers 'enjoyed every second' of final run with Hopkins", "Minnesota prep hoops legend Paige Bueckers set to face Gophers in Bahamas", "Hopkins' Paige Bueckers dazzling, inspiring a generation of girls", "Paige Bueckers 2020 High School Girls' Basketball Profile", "UConn lands No. Dordt Media Audio Channel For Play by Play, Leagues Hosted At The Dordt Recreation Center. It took her a few weeks to get back to the level she was at before. Still, UConn will be without its best player for a long stretch of the season. Could be (weeks). [143][144] Her playing style has frequently drawn comparisons to Taurasi. UCONN STAR PAIGE BUECKERS INKS GATORADE NIL DEAL, Connecticut's Paige Bueckers is helped off the court after being injured against Notre Dame, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, in Storrs, Connecticut. Odds & lines subject to change. [127], At the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Bangkok, Thailand in July, Bueckers averaged 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and a tournament-high 5.4 assists per game. Bueckers ended her sophomore campaign with averages of 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 54.4% from the field in 17 games. Through the deal, she launched the Paige Bueckers Foundation, which aims to promote social justice and create opportunities for families and children. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, SAN ANTONIO - UConn women's basketball freshman Paige Bueckers was selected as the 2021 AP Player of the Year, as announced by the Associated Press Wednesday. [78] She was recognized as MOP of the River Walk Regional. [60] Bueckers was drawn to UConn because she felt that head coach Geno Auriemma would maximize her talents, and because of the university's reputation and enthusiasm for women's basketball. [122] On September 1, Bueckers announced she would return to UConn for the 202324 season instead of declaring for the 2023 WNBA draft, for which she is age-eligible. That doesnt necessarily mean Bueckers return to action is imminent. Legal Statement. Bueckers was averaging 21.2 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds a game before her injury. 1 South Carolina on February 8, 2021[67], On December 12, 2020, Bueckers made her collegiate debut for UConn, recording 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five steals in a 7923 win over UMass Lowell. Preview: No. She has raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Xfinity Series and was a 2014 NASCAR Drive for Diversity participant.