In five seasons in Storrs, Paige Bueckers ushered in a new era of college basketball

“Obviously, we started playing here with cardboard cutouts as the fans, so just to have gone through that and then experienced the other side of it, which was amazing. The atmosphere was amazing. You can’t even hear timeouts, can’t even hear fouls, can’t even hear the when you say whistle blow just because of how loud they are and how much support they show and it truly feels like they’re a part of the team in the way they can shift the game and shift the momentum. It’s been a dream to play here, a dream to wear this uniform.”

Bueckers has excelled during her collegiate career, performing with historic efficiency. By sinking her first two attempted free throws on Monday night, Bueckers elevated her free throw efficiency to over 90%, putting her in the 50-40-90 club (50% from field, 40% from beyond the arc, 90% from free throw line). Her 3.8 AST/TO ratio is top in the nation — making her the only player in college basketball, the NBA and the WNBA in the 50-40-90 club to also lead in AST/TO ratio.

“It’s incredible to watch, but you almost feel sorry for the other team because you know when Paige is locked in, there’s nothing you can do to stop her,” UConn guard Azzi Fudd told reports. “It doesn’t matter what shot she takes, the ball’s going to go in. I was on the bench getting to watch most of it so that was really fun to just get to watch and see what she does and she makes it look so easy. We have all the trust in the world in her so just got to sit back and enjoy the Paige show.”

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A new era

On April 1, 2019, a 17-year-old Paige Bueckers announced her decision to play for head coach Geno Auriemma and the 11-time national champion Huskies. Later that same week, UConn lost in the Final Four in Tampa (incidentally, the site of this season’s Final Four) to Notre Dame, closing the chapter on the collegiate careers of the program’s highest-scoring duo, Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson.

The departure of Collier and Samuelson — national champions in their freshman season — represented the last vestiges of the Breanna Stewart era, a period of UConn dominance characterized by four-straight-national titles (2013-2016). Carrying the torch of the program’s esteemed legacy fell squarely on the slender shoulders of freshman Paige.

“I know there’s pressure when you have UConn across your chest, but I love pressure,” Bueckers said when she announced her commitment to play in Storrs. “I love when the rival fans hate you — that makes the game more fun and entertaining. UConn plays with passion. They play the game the right way. They play team basketball. They play hard. That appeals to me because I’m a team-first player.”

Bueckers’ arrival to campus in 2020 was met with unprecedented hype and unprecedented times. The swaggy teen earned significant attention and during her high school career — including a cover photo shoot for SLAM Magazine — yet she played her freshman season in empty arenas due to COVID health and safety restrictions. Despite the atypical circumstances, Bueckers didn’t waste any time showcasing her generational talent — becoming the first freshman to earn the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, AP Player of the Year and USBWA Player of the Year. She led the Huskies to a 13th consecutive Final Four, showing the world that the Huskies didn’t intend to fall from the sport’s upper echelon in the 2020s.

While Bueckers was dazzling on the court, off the court she was a pioneering figure in the name, image and likeness (NIL) era of college sports. In summer 2021, following her freshman campaign, new NCAA rules went into effect that allowed players to monetize their NIL. By November of her sophomore season, Bueckers became the first NCAA student-athlete to sign an NIL deal with Gatorade.

As a senior, Bueckers has amassed over 20 NIL deals, and will leave Storrs a wealthy woman. Aware of her blessings, Bueckers carries herself with a tremendous amount of gratitude. She’s always made sure her teammates could share in her success, has put her time and money behind her hometown and other charitable efforts, and embraced being a role model to kids who adore her. In a college sports landscape that’s riding the turbulent tides of NIL and revenue-sharing, Bueckers has embodied the best of what the future of college sports can be.

“Paige is the poster child for how it’s supposed to be. That’s the way it’s supposed to work. She came out of high school at a time when people weren’t just getting paid to play,” Auriemma told reporters postgame.

“She made a name for herself and set a standard for exactly why you’re supposed to be able to appreciate this stuff. You go to college. You’re the best player in the country, and everybody wants to be associated with you and the school doesn’t give you a dime. You did it. You earned it because of who you are and your accomplishments on the court. Not just how you look. Not just because you’re great on TikTok. You got to back it up. You have to have a game. There’s a lot of people making a lot of money that have no game. To me, when that rule was put into effect and then as I see it out after five years, Paige should be on a postage stamp for this is what NIL is. This is how it’s supposed to be done.”

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A legacy

The resume that Paige Bueckers has built during her time in Storrs measures up to the program’s most legendary alumni.

She scored 1,000 career points in her 55th career game, tying Maya Moore as the fastest Huskies to reach the milestone. Surpassing Moore, she became the fastest player in program history to 2,000 career points (102 games). She’s won the BIG EAST regular season and tournament champion each season she’s competed, and has won BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player a record three times. Her name now hangs on the wall at Gampel alongside the program’s other First Team All-Americans — players like Rebecca Lobo, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart.

There’s one accomplishment still left for Bueckers to achieve, however, and it’s one that many feel will ultimately define her legacy — a national championship. Although she’s led UConn to the Final Four each of the three times she’s competed in the NCAA Tournament, she’s fallen short of a title each time.

“Ever since [Breanna Stewart] walked in and said, ‘I want to win four national championships,’ I thought there’s a lot to this. When you’re in high school, it seems so easy, you know? I go to UConn and win a national championship. The reality hits and you realize it’s incredibly difficult to do that, so I don’t want anyone to feel less than full when they leave here if they don’t have a national championship,” Auriemma told reporters. “She’s put herself in that position that if she leaves here without winning one, she’s going to feel less than full. I don’t feel that way and as I said, she’s doing things that no one’s ever done before.”

No matter the outcome of UConn’s tournament run this season, Bueckers’ legacy at UConn is firmly intact. Her No. 5 jersey, now on the wall of Gampel Pavilion, represents a player who, with tremendous grace and poise, became one of the pioneering figures in college basketball’s new age. She honored the process, fiercely competed and carried with grace the tremendous weight of the UConn women’s basketball brand. Championship or not, Bueckers has earned her spot among women’s college basketball royalty.

“I’m sure we’ll have more time to reflect on it … when the season is over,” Bueckers said postgame. “But right now, we’re super focused on the present but obviously just extremely grateful and you can’t really put into words how much this place has meant to me. I’m forever indebted and it’s become my second home.”

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