UConn’s Paige Bueckers headlines Preseason AP All-American with JuJu Watkins and more
Paige Bueckers, who will enter her final college basketball season this year, earned her place on AP's Preseason All-America Team for the upcoming season. This adds more hype to the UConn Huskies' stock following a 2023-24 season in which she earned unanimous First-Team All-American honors.
Bueckers earned a unanimous selection from a 30-member national media panel along with USC Trojans superstar JuJu Watkins, who won an ESPY for Best Breakthrough Athlete following an impressive freshman season.
Bueckers and Watkins were joined by 2024 ACC Rookie of the Year Hannah Hidalgo, Big 12 Freshman of the Year Maddie Booker and Watkins' new Trojans teammate Kiki Iriafen, who enjoyed a breakout season in Tara VanDerveer's last season as Stanford Cardinal coach.
This season marks a rare piece of history as AP's Preseason All-America Team comprises three sophomores for the first time: Watkins, Hidalgo and Booker. While Bueckers is bound to be the headline act at Storrs, the nation is bound to keep an eye on the other four players on this team, whom AP has recognized as the best of the best in the upcoming season.
Paige Bueckers keen to end college basketball career with a national championship
After missing the 2022-23 season with an ACL injury, Paige Bueckers made a strong comeback in the 2023-24 season. In 35 starts, she averaged 21.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.4 blocks. She was named the Big East Player of the Year.
Despite the Huskies' injury struggles, Bueckers led the charge to the Final Four last season. However, their season came to a bitter end at the hands of Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes following a narrow 71-69 loss in the Final Four.
Bueckers has used that loss to drive her preparations for the upcoming season, as the Huskies seek to end their nine-year national championship drought. Per SBNation's UConn Blog, she is keen to approach the season with a different mindset following last season's heartbreak to win the only title that has eluded her thus far.
Bueckers and the Huskies will begin the upcoming season with a home game against the Boston University Terriers on Nov. 7.