Paige Bueckers having standout freshman season at UConn
Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns surprised Hopkins star guard Paige Bueckers with the Gatorade National Player of the Year Award on Monday morning.
MINNEAPOLIS - It’s no surprise to anyone that followed Paige Bueckers in her high school days at Hopkins, but she’s quickly come on the scene to be a standout in her first season of college basketball.
The nation took notice, if it didn’t know already, Thursday night. Bueckers, gutting through a bad ankle and appearing to be on the verge of tears, hit a 3-pointer with 24 seconds to play to lead No. 3-ranked UConn to a 67-61 win at No. 23-ranked Tennessee.
Video of the shot, put out on social media by a team official, has more than 300,000 views.
Bueckers finished the game with nine points and had a tough shooting night, going just 3-of-14 from the field. That make with 24 seconds left was her only 3-pointer of the night, and it came in the biggest spot. Making big shots in big moments is nothing new for Bueckers, a McDonald’s All-American, last year's Gatorade Player of the Year and one of the best high school players to ever come out of Minnesota.
What’s most impressive about Bueckers this year? In a program that annually puts out All-Americans, she’s leading the Huskies in scoring at 17.1 points per game. She’s also leading the team in minutes at nearly 35 per game, shooting nearly 47 percent from the perimeter and has 51 assists to 26 turnovers. She also has 26 steals as the Huskies are 9-0 on the season.
She’s won at every level, and Bueckers is off to yet another impressive start. For those that know her, it’s nothing new.