Paige Bueckers was 0 for 3 in state championship games in her varsity career heading into the Class 4A title bout in 2019. But there the then-junior was at 5 a.m. on the morning of Hopkins’ title tilt against Stillwater, puking.
Great.
One thing was for sure: it was not going to keep the guard off the floor. Months later, Bueckers recalled the power drinks and “gross” Gatorade gummy chews she forced down that day to ensure she was ready to play.
She led Hopkins to the state championship, and a weight was lifted that evening.
“Nobody was allowed to say I did all this and all that but haven’t won state yet,” Bueckers later said.
Fast forward six years, and Bueckers is in a familiar spot. She was the national player of the year as a freshman at UConn, and is a finalist for those honors again this season. Friday’s national semifinal against UCLA marks the Huskies’ third trip to the Final Four in Bueckers’ tenure. The two times they didn’t go were the season and a half the guard missed following a major knee injury.
Bueckers is a shoo-in to be the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft and has ascended to become one of the faces of the women’s game. All that’s left to do in her collegiate career? Win a national title.
That’s not to give any credence to the “rings culture” that suggests if you didn’t win the title, all was for naught. A lack of a trophy will do little to take away from Bueckers’ basketball legacy. Caitlin Clark didn’t win a title at Iowa after falling in the championship game of each of her final two collegiate campaigns.
But the reality is Bueckers wants that ring — who doesn’t? Particularly at UConn, a program that doesn’t bother to cut down nets after Elite 8 victories.
“I think before you even get here, you kind of know the pressures that exist by committing to UConn,” Bueckers told reporters on Monday. “So, by making that decision to want to come here and try to live up to that and be a part of a legendary program, it’s a decision you have to make even before you step on campus. And once you walk inside the practice facility, you see all the history, all the names, all the banners. It’s just motivation.
“Obviously there’s expectations here. And anything less than a national championship is really a disappointment. As players, that’s what you play for and what you want to live up to. And the expectations and the pressure, it’s a privilege.”
Brian Cosgriff, who coached Bueckers at Hopkins and is now the Minnetonka girls head coach, believes it’s “very important” to Bueckers to win a championship; not for her own resume, “But because she loves her coaches and teammates so much.”
“And she loves the community and the school,” Cosgriff said. “So, I think it’s very important for her. It’s just the same way it was at Hopkins.”
That yearn to win can be a hindrance on performance. When you want something so badly, it can become more difficult to attain, particularly in this era of social media stardom.
“I don’t think I’ve ever coached someone in this generation where they have to deal with this type of scrutiny and pressure that comes from the world that they live in. She’s the first one,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma told reporters. “So, for her to get all the attention she gets, have all the demands on her life, all the expectations in her life, and still be able to deliver, she — yeah — she’s very unique.”
Bueckers’ advice for anyone trying to block out the added noise of today’s world is to stay off social media and listen to “the right voices.” She works with a sports psychologist, which helps ease her nerves and focus on the now.
“I know a lot of things can happen during this time, a lot of pressures, the stakes, what you’re trying to accomplish, you can get caught up in that,” she said. “I know a huge emphasis for me was staying present, staying in the moment, standing firm in who we are as a team, who we want to be as individuals, and just not getting too caught up in anything else but trying to be present for the team, enjoy every moment.”
Bueckers is playing with a clear urgency at the moment, capping a remarkable career with a scintillating run through the tournament. The senior is averaging 35 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals over UConn’s past three games, all while shooting 59% from the field and 62% from 3-point range.
Yet after the Huskies’ regional final win over USC, Auriemma sat at the press conference table, pointed at the guard’s four turnovers in the box score and asked, “What was that?”
“And she immediately went to the next column and she said, ‘Look, I got it back, I got four steals,’” Auriemma said. “Like that’s … her mentality is always, ‘This is what I did to help us win, I’m not worried about what the other stuff was.’”
“I saw that all throughout high school. She was going to do whatever it took for the team and the program to be successful,” Cosgriff said. “That hasn’t changed since she’s been out there. She’s a complete player, complete person. She’s just so passionate about trying to be the best possible player and person she can be, night in and night out.”
And, yeah, when there’s the most at stake, she might ramp even her consistent excellence up a notch or two. Expect the best version of Bueckers to take the floor in Tampa Bay this weekend.
“She’s going to take the charge, she’s going to make the big free throw, she’s going to make the big shot. She’s going to get the big rebound. She’s going to do whatever it takes in order for UConn and Geno Auriemma to be successful,” Cosgriff said.
“It does not matter what the skill or task is asked of her, she’s going to be doing that. She’s got two more games. She wants to go out there and leave it all on the table. She doesn’t want there to be any stone left unturned.”
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