Freshman UConn Star Paige Bueckers Leads Team to 13th Final Four, Wants to Make God ‘Famous’
Paige Bueckers takes a shot during the Monday night game against Baylor.
Update: Paige Buecker’s UConn Huskies fell to Arizona last night 69-59. Buecker scored 18 points in the losing effort.
The University of Connecticut is back in the Final Four of the NCAA Women’s basketball tournament due in large part to freshman Paige Bueckers. She led the Huskies to their 13th Final Four in a 69-67 win against Baylor Monday night.
Bueckers was only six years old when UConn began their Final Four streak in 2008, Sports Spectrum reported. “To be part of that history is wild,” she said in a post-game press conference. “That’s why I came here. … Saw that as a young kid, wanted to be a part of that. It’s surreal.”
This season, the freshman has averaged 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. And she just won AP’s player of the year award — the first freshman to do so.
‘Make Him Famous’
Bueckers says she wouldn’t be where she is now without God.
I know I wouldn’t be here without Him and just the confidence and experiences and opportunities He’s given me. I’ve just tried to shine and sort of make Him famous and use my light that He’s given me to shine on Him. So these opportunities, you dream of them as a kid, but you can get there with strong work ethic and faith and just trust in God.
‘All Glory to God’
As a testament to her storied high school basketball career, Bueckers was named the 2020 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year. She tweeted about the honor. “This is CRAZY!! First all Glory to God. He has helped me achieve things I couldn’t even dream of. A huge thank you to Gatorade for naming me fit for this award. There were so many people that deserved this award just as much as me. So it’s a blessing to be the one chosen!”
This is CRAZY!! First all Glory to God He has helped me achieve things I couldn’t even dream of. A huge thank you to Gatorade for naming me fit for this award. There were so many people that deserved this award just as much as me. So it’s a blessing to be the one chosen! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/1PC9lKZdIQ
— Paige Bueckers (@paigebueckers1) July 24, 2020
Earlier last year, Bueckers she expressed her gratitude for her success. “GOD IS GOOD. Today has been a crazy day to say the least! A huge blessing and something I only dreamt of as a kid. A huge thank you to @gatorade, @karltowns, and everyone involved for making my dreams come true.”
https://twitter.com/paigebueckers1/status/1237162510941388803
Last year she was featured on the cover of SLAM magazine. “Look, God, WE MADE THE COVER,” she wrote on Instagram.
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Bueckers wants to be a role model for those who come after her. “She realizes that with great success comes great responsibility,” said her mom, Amy Fuller. “She truly wants to be an inspiration for the younger generation. It’s kind of become the norm for her and she really has embraced it and handled it with a lot of maturity and grace.”
Her Huskies will go up against No. 3 seed Arizona Wildcats tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Nancy Flory is an associate editor at The Stream. You can follow her @NancyFlory3, and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.
