Paige Bueckers grabbed the attention of every women’s basketball fan Friday night when she announced that she wouldn’t enter the WNBA Draft and would instead return to UConn next season.
Bueckers battled injuries earlier in her career for the Huskies, missing a chunk of the 2021-22 season and all of the 2022-23 campaign with lower body ailments. She’s proving this season though that she’s still one of the top players in the country – and a highly sought-after pro prospect – by averaging 20.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Bueckers is one of just four players nationally putting up an average nightly stat line like that.
The UConn guard made her announcement to the crowd at Gampel Pavilion on Friday night before the Huskies beat Georgetown. It was senior night in Storrs, Connecticut, and Bueckers was honored. She grabbed the mic and said:
“Unfortunately, this will not be my last senior night.”
"Unfortunately this will not be my last Senior NIght"
PAIGE BUECKERS WILL RETURN TO STORRS NEXT YEAR! pic.twitter.com/0F9hS04Rof
— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) February 17, 2024
That’s only unfortunate news for WNBA teams with a top three pick in this upcoming draft. For women’s college basketball fans, it’s awesome news.
And fans found out the same time that UConn coach Geno Auriemma did.
Geno said he found out Paige Bueckers was coming back next season at the same time as everyone else at Gampel.
This was his reaction immediately afterwards: pic.twitter.com/KfuCtECEkJ
— Daniel Connolly (@DanielVConnolly) February 17, 2024
Geno Auriemma says Paige Bueckers never confirmed her return with him, but hearing her previously talk about her love for UConn, he wasn't shocked.
"Paige is very, very bad at making decisions. When we were recruiting her I had to threaten her because she couldn't decide."
— Emily Adams (@eaadams6) February 17, 2024
The 69-year-old coach – who has won more national titles than anyone else in the sport – then joked about how Bueckers returning related to his own decision to come back and continue to coach the Huskies:
Geno Auriemma says he's returning to coach next season:
"I was [planning to return] until Paige's announcement" 😂 pic.twitter.com/qEESLPTfM2
— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) February 17, 2024
As long as Bueckers is on the court and Auriemma is on the sidelines, UConn will be a force to be reckoned with. Expect them to be among the preseason favorites again next year.
