Star basketball player Paige Bueckers announced Friday night that she intends to return to UConn for another season in 2024-25.
Bueckers made the announcement at the Huskies Senior Night in front of a capacity crowd prior to her teams 85-44 victory over Georgetown.
“I know everybody wants me to address the elephant in the room,” Bueckers told fans. “Unfortunately this will not be my last senior night here at UConn.”
When asked about her decision to return, the 22 year old noted “Just the family camaraderie here, just loving it here, loving my teammates, loving my coaches, me not having the four years that I planned on, not being able to play as much…I just feel like I’m not done yet here. I feel like God is still writing my story here. I’m just blessed to be a part of this program, and I never want it to end.”
Following a breakout freshman season which saw Bueckers guide UConn to a Final Four appearance, the Minnesota native has been plagued by injuries over the last few years. A nagging knee injury limited her to just 17 games as a sophomore, before she suffered a torn ACL in the summer of 2022 which kept her out of game action for the entire 2022-23 campaign.
Currently a redshirt junior, Bueckers was a projected lottery pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, but will likely enter the 2024-25 season as the favourite to go 1st overall next year. Currently averaging 20pts/4.6reb/4ast/2.2stl/1blk per game, the versatile guard will look to go on a deep run at the NCAA Tournament this March.
However, if the Huskies fall short, it will provide Bueckers with a final opportunity to play with former number 1 recruit Azzi Fudd, who is currently out for the year due to injury. Originally pegged as the next iteration of the UConn dynasty, Bueckers and Fudd have been limited to just 17 games together across the entirety of their collegiate careers.
Because of injuries to both players, the Huskies championship “drought” now extends back to 2016. A stretch that’s been almost unheard of during Geno Auriemma’s time with the program.
In addition to Bueckers and Fudd, graduate student Aubrey Griffin also announced she plans to return in 2024-25 to use her final year of eligibility. Fellow Seniors Nika Muhl and Aaliyah Edwards have both been non-committal about their futures, though it’s expected that of the two Muhl is most likely to move on.
The 15th ranked Huskies are next in action on Monday February 19th against 20th ranked Creighton in a 12pm ET showdown.
Photo: John Mac. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.