Confirming what many in the basketball world already knew, Paige Bueckers is officially now in a class of her own. The UConn Husky phenom made history on Wednesday becoming the first freshman to win the Associated Press women’s player of the year award.
Receiving 21 out of a possible 30 votes, Bueckers was the runaway winner with her next closest competitor (Dana Evans from Louisville) receiving only 4. Paige becomes the 12th Husky to win the award, following in the footsteps of Uconn greats like Sue Bird, and Diana Taurasi.
Yet what they accomplished in their Senior and Junior seasons respectively, Bueckers has done in her first attempt. A feat that surprised even the generally stoic head coach Geno Auriemma. Usually one to be conservative with freshmen playing time, even Geno had to give the 19 year old her props, “Who’s done more than her? And if you can give me a better argument, then I would say I’ll vote for them, too. But I don’t think you can.”
Averaging 20.1pts to go along with 5.9 assists and 4.8rpg on the year, Paige seems to actually be getting better the deeper her team goes into the NCAA tournament. After scoring a team high 28pts against a tough Baylor squad to help put the Huskies in the Final Four for the 13th year in a row, one wonders what she’ll do for an encore next season.
We may very well be sitting on the cusp of something never done before in either the women’s or men’s college ranks. Could Paige become the first player in college basketball to win the AP player of the year award 4 times? Lofty as that seems, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Breanna Stewart (Uconn) won the award 3 consecutive times from 2014-2016, and Ralph Sampson (Virginia) did the same 30 years prior on the men’s side in ‘81, ‘82, & ‘83. But where Sampson’s record is virtually untouchable, as today’s college basketball players would undoubtedly enter the NBA draft following a win, Stewart has reason to be slightly less comfortable.
As of 2014, The WNBA “requires players to be at least 22, to have completed their college eligibility, to have graduated from a four-year college or to be four years removed from high school”. Which means unless the league re-writes the rulebook, or creates some sort of “exceptional player status” like the OHL has for underaged players, then Paige becomes the first woman to have a chance at the feat. As daunting a proposition as that may be, perhaps even scarier is the fact that unless the rules are changed, opposing teams will have another 3 years of Bueckers in a Husky uniform.
If ever you’ve wondered why on the men’s side, there seems to be some ebbs and flows to which programs are viable championship contenders, whereas on the women’s side Uconn is ALWAYS there, your answer is in the paragraph above. With Uconn making their 13th consecutive appearance in the Final 4 they’ve already blown past the men’s record of 10 set by John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins in the 70’s. Unlike today where players are one and done, you’re looking at an era where names like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton were campus mainstays over multiple seasons. And that consistency is something that programs can build around, especially when you have an all-world talent like Paige committed to 4 years leading your backcourt.
Already the record holder for most assists in a season by a freshman (146), and the single game record holder for most assists (14) in program history, Bueckers is well on her way to re-writing the record books at Uconn. As a freshman she shot .459 from 3pt range this year. For reference, Steph Curry’s best 3pt % EVER at the NBA level was .455. Different leagues, granted, but on a WNBA level that would have been good for 7th place in the league in 2020 (amongst those making at least twenty five 3’s). Keep in mind, she’s 19.
And while the Huskies will briefly celebrate the accomplishments of the young floor general, their attention will quickly shift back to the task at hand, unseating number 3 ranked Arizona in their semifinal matchup Friday. It’s all business when it comes to March basketball in Geno’s world. But for a competitor like Paige Bueckers, she probably wouldn’t have it any other way.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @dynessports