“Pookie day”: Paige Bueckers shares warm birthday wishes for teammate Aubrey Griffin via IG
Paige Bueckers was quick to add a special touch for UConn teammate Aubrey Griffin's birthday. Yesterday, Griffin uploaded a post on Instagram to celebrate her 23rd birthday, featuring some of her favorite snaps in a white hoodie and pink jeans.
Bueckers, who boasts two million followers on Instagram, shared a kind message for her fellow redshirt senior by commenting on her birthday post.
"Poookieee dayyyy," wrote an excited Bueckers.
Besides Bueckers, Qadence Samuels and Morgan Cheli also chipped in with kind messages for Griffin, sharing comments on her birthday post.
"Birthday girl," wrote Samuels.
"Fit ateeee. Amazing twin," wrote Cheli.
Griffin was sidelined for the remainder of the 2023-24 season, suffering an ACL injury to her left knee this January after just 14 games. The timeline for her return to the court remains uncertain, which is the same case for talented guard Caroline Ducharme.
Meanwhile, Azzi Fudd, one of Bueckers' closest friends, is likely to return by the end of this month or in December, per CTInsider.
Bueckers shines in 2024-25 season opener
Bueckers got her final season in college basketball off to the perfect start as the Huskies dominated the Boston Terriers in a lopsided 86-32 win. The Preseason Big East Player of the Year was on point, finishing with 13 points, four rebounds, seven assists and five steals.
Top recruit Sarah Strong finished joint top-scorer for the Huskies with fellow debutant Jana El Alfy, the program's first-ever Egyptian player who took a redshirt in her freshman season because of a torn Achilles. In fact, El Alfy enjoyed a dream debut, recording a double-double as she finished with a team-high 11 rebounds to go along with 17 points, the same as Strong.
Ashlynn Shade, who stayed on court the longest among the Huskies, finished with 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and a team-leading six steals to cap off a fine display from Geno Auriemma's side.
Bueckers and the Huskies will be keen to enjoy similar success in their first home game of the season, when they take on the South Florida Bulls on Nov. 10 at 4:30 p.m. ET.