When the UConn women’s basketball team hits the court for the NCAA Final Four, it’ll be the first time in 30 years they’re considered underdogs. With star guard Paige Bueckers leading the charge, they aim to reclaim the top spot for 2024. Despite injury setbacks, Bueckers is back in form, scoring crucial points in the Elite Eight to secure victory. She faces tough competition from Iowa’s Caitlin Clark in the upcoming showdown. Here are some quick facts about Bueckers before the big game.
1. She racked up some impressive awards as only a freshman.
Bueckers’ basketball prowess was evident even in high school, with ESPN ranking her as the top recruit of her year. However, her star continued to rise after she joined the Huskies.
In 2021, she made history by becoming the first freshman to win the Naismith Player of the Year Award, the most prestigious honor in NCAA basketball. This achievement mirrored her success in high school, where she had won the equivalent award the year before.
Her freshman year at college was decorated with accolades. Bueckers also clinched the 2021 John R. Wooden Award, recognizing her as an outstanding player both on and off the court.
To cap off her remarkable freshman season, Bueckers achieved yet another milestone: she became the first freshman to win the Associated Press Women’s Basketball Player of the Year Award. A video capturing her emotional reaction to the announcement showcased the significance of this honor.2. Injuries kept her off the court for a chunk of her college career.
Bueckers suffered a knee injury and had ankle surgery in 2021, which sidelined her for half of her sophomore season. She also missed her entire junior season due to an ACL injury.
“The last couple years have been really challenging on my mental [health],” Bueckers said in a press conference after her team beat USC for a spot in the Final Four in early April, “I feel like I’ve had adversity thrown my way, but at the same time, I’m super blessed to be in the position [I’m in.]”
In particular, she credits her recovery in part to the support of her team, coaches, and school, and the medical care and rehab it provided.
“It could be easy for me to sulk and be upset and be sad about what life has thrown me the last couple years, or I can attack it with the mentality of being a leader.”
News
BREAKING: Kate Martin sparked controversy on social media when she demanded that the WNBA organizing committee review the VAR and ban Angel Reese from playing for her unsportsmanlike act of punching Caitlin Clark in the head. “We must eliminate the dirty elements to make the game cleaner.”
Kate Martin has sparked a social media uproar by publicly calling on the WNBA organizing committee to review the incident using VAR and to ban Angel Reese from playing. This demand stems from Reese’s unsportsmanlike conduct, where she was seen…
Brittney Griner asked Angel Reese instead of Caitlin Clark to compete in the 3×3 Olympics after Cameron Brink suffered an injury. I think “Angel Reese is better than Caitlin Clark”, causing fans to argue fiercely on social media.
In a surprising turn of events, WNBA star Brittney Griner has chosen Angel Reese to compete in the 3×3 Olympics, following an injury to Cameron Brink. Griner’s decision, and her accompanying statement that “Angel Reese is better than Caitlin Clark,”…
Caitlin Clark’s GPA Has Been Revealed In The Wake Of Her WNBA Debut, And It Will Shock You
Caitlin Clark (Photo via @caitlinclark22/Instagram) Caitlin Clark was bossing college both on the court and in the classroom. The new Indiana Fever guard left the NCAA as its highest-ever scorer and has already put on a show in the WNBA, having made her professional…
David Portnoy Slams Team USA for Excluding Caitlin Clark from Olympic Roster, Citing Missed Opportunity for Women’s Basketball
You can love Caitlin Clark. You can hate Caitlin Clark. You can love her Iowa roots. You can hate her Iowa roots. You can like her because she’s white or dislike her because she’s white. The same goes for being…
Indiana Fever Rookie Caitlin Clark Causes A Massive Stir With Her Unusual Social Media Activity
Caitlin Clark (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)© Provided by Total Pro Sports Caitlin Clark made a curious move on social media this week, liking a certain post. The Indiana Fever point guard has made it a point to let folks know…
OUT OF BOUNDS: David Portnoy – El Presidente harshly criticizes Team USA for leaving WNBA rookie sensation Caitlin Clark off its Olympic roster. The Barstool Sports founder argues that the league missed a golden opportunity to grow women’s basketball.
Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy, better known online as “El Presidente,” is throwing shade at the selection committee behind the USA Women’s Olympic Basketball team. The controversy? The omission of WNBA rookie phenom Caitlin Clark from the roster. Clark, a…
End of content
No more pages to load
