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Paige Madison Bueckers[1] (/ˈbɛkərz/ BEH-kərz; born October 20, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference.
Nicknamed "Paige Buckets", Bueckers attended Hopkins High School in Hopkins, Minnesota and was ranked as the number one recruit in her class by ESPN, receiving national high school player of the year honors. In her first season at UConn, Bueckers became the first freshman to earn a major national women's college player of the year award, winning all four for which she was eligible. She led UConn to the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA tournament and set program records for assists by a freshman and single-game assists. Bueckers missed most of her sophomore season with a left knee injury but led her team to the national championship game. She was ruled out for her junior season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Bueckers returned in the following season, being named a unanimous first-team All-American for a second time and leading the Huskies to the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA tournament.
Bueckers has won three gold medals with the United States at the youth international level, including at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, where she was named Most Valuable Player. She was a Youth Olympic gold medalist in 3x3 basketball and has played for the senior national 3x3 team. Bueckers was recognized as USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year in 2019.
- ^ "Dean's List, Fall 2021" (PDF). University of Connecticut. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.