Paige Bueckers

Paige Bueckers Forgoes WNBA Draft To Play Another Year At UConn, Basketball World Stunned

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UConn star Paige Bueckers has stunned the basketball world by announcing that she will remain at UConn for at least one more season. “I know everybody wants me to address the elephant in the room. Unfortunately this will not be my last senior night here at UConn. Just the family camaraderie here, just loving it here, loving my teammates, loving my coaches, me not having the four years that I planned on, not being able to play as much,” Bueckers told SNY following a routine win over Georgetown for the Huskies.

Bueckers was a projected lottery pick in April’s WNBA Draft. However, there was also the chance that the vaunted prospect and 2021 National Player of the Year might stay in college another season. Bueckers’ collegiate career has been consistently plagued by injury, including missing most of her sophomore year and the entirety of her junior year. Furthermore, the move makes Bueckers the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft. ESPN‘s most recent mock draft for 2024 had Bueckers being selected third overall.

Read More: Paige Bueckers Signs Multi-Year Deal With Nike

Caitlin Clark Shatters WBB Scoring Record

Meanwhile, presumptive No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark officially became the NCAA women’s scoring record holder this week. It was only fitting that Caitlin Clark hit a signature logo three to break Kelsey Plum‘s record. Iowa opened their Big Ten matchup against Michigan with Clark eight points shy of the record. Clark scored all eight of Iowa’s opening points to pause the game less than two-and-a-half minutes after it started to let her soak in her achievement. However, she wasn’t finished. Clark scored a career-high 49 points as Iowa routed the Wolverines 106-89, shattering Plum’s record in the process.

The record might be hers, but Clark is far from done. Iowa are second in the Big Ten standings with a 12-2 conference record. They have four games remaining in the regular season, including conference-deciding matchups against No. 14 Indiana and No. 2 Ohio State. After that comes the Big Ten Tournament and March Madness. With Clark expected to become the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, it would be only fitting for her to end her college career by avenging last year’s National Championship defeat. However, there is another record well within Clark’s sight. Thanks to her massive game against Michigan, Clark is now just 98 points behind the all-time NCAA scoring record. That has stood since 1970 when LSU legend Pete Maravich ended his college career with 3,667 points.

Read More: Caitlin Clark Still Undecided About Declaring For WNBA Draft

Reactions To Paige Bueckers Staying At UConn

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Paige Bueckers Signs Multi-Year Deal With Nike

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UConn star Paige Bueckers has inked a multi-year partnership with Nike. Bueckers was one of the hottest prospects in college basketball, winning National Player of the Year as a freshman in the 2020/21 season. However, injuries have derailed her promising career. She missed most of her sophomore year and all of her junior year. While she is still expected to be a top draft pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the 2023/24 collegiate campaign is make-or-break for Bueckers. Most experts have Bueckers as the #3 prospect in the 2024 WNBA Draft behind Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

“I am blessed and honored to announce my partnership with Nike,” Bueckers said in a statement. “Joining the Nike family is a childhood dream come true. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together on and off the court.” Furthermore, According to Nike, her contract could stay with her if she chooses to go pro. Earlier this year, Nike partnered with former first-overall pick Sabrina Ionescu to produce the WNBA’s 12th signature shoe. Additional details of Bueckers’ deal with Nike were not made available.

Read More: LSU signs Kim Mulkey to 10-year, $32 million extension, the richest contract in women’s basketball history

Bueckers Ready For Comeback

Bueckers has only appeared in 46 games for the Huskies since joining them three years ago. However, she has an average of 18 points and 5.1 assists per game in those appearances. Last month, Bueckers announced that she had been cleared to resume playing. However, she opted not to participate in the team’s tour of Europe. UConn opens their season against Dayton. Other non-conference highlights include UCLA, Notre Dame, South Carolina, and Texas.

However, UConn is in an interesting position this season, with a much bigger focus on the players already on the roster. Their top recruit is KK Arnold, ranked #6 in the 2023 class by ESPN. DraftKings has given the second-best odds to win the 2024 National Championship at +500. However, they are significant behind LSU, who spent the offseason building a superteam with transfers Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow. How do you think UConn will do this year? Let us know in the comments.

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