Paige Bueckers eyes NCAA, WNBA glory
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Paige Bueckers is averaging 19 points per game for UConn. Photo: Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images
College basketball stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese became mega-famous last year following deep tournament runs and first-round WNBA draft selections.
- If UConn can win a women's basketball national championship, expect the same for Hopkins alum Paige Bueckers.
Why it matters: The growing WNBA has never been more popular and drafts on April 14 — eight days after the national championship.
- Bueckers finally winning the big one and then going No. 1 overall this year would make her a national household name.
Flashback: She led Hopkins to a state championship and is one of the best high school basketball players in state history.
State of play: Bueckers has been on the doorstep of an NCAA Tournament title since 2020 — she lost in the Final Four as a freshman, lost the national championship as a sophomore, missed the following season due to a torn ACL and then lost again in the Final Four last season.
- Individually, she has grown into a superstar. The 23 year old has earned more than $1 million in name, image and likeness (NIL) deals during her college career, per Sportico, and made her third career first-team All-American on Wednesday.
The latest: UConn is a No. 2 seed this year and will have to go through a strong No. 1 seed in USC to get back to the Final Four.
- As long as the Huskies keep winning, get ready for a month of Bueckers highlights and commercials plastered across TV.
The intrigue: Bueckers is widely projected as the No. 1 overall pick in April's WNBA draft, which is owned by the Dallas Wings.
- Rumors circulated over the winter that Bueckers, who still has another year of eligibility due to her missed season and the pandemic, might stay in college to avoid being taken by a middling Wings team that has drafted 12 first-round picks since 2020 and still finished 9-31 in 2024.
Yes, but: That seems less likely as the season has progressed and after she was honored on Senior Day, though the Wings could always trade out of the spot if another team offers an elite haul.
What's next: UConn plays Arkansas State on Saturday at noon on ABC.
- This year's women's Final Four is in Tampa, Florida.