How does Paige Bueckers compare to the all-time UConn greats?

The University of Connecticut has produced some of the greatest women’s basketball talents of all time.

Breanna Stewart has been hailed as the greatest UConn player of all time, winning four national championships and three national Player of the Year awards during her time in Storrs. Stewart has also made a case as the greatest college basketball player of all time.

Maya Moore is perhaps the most decorated guard in UConn history, taking home two Player of the Year awards and two national championships.

Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi played in Storrs together for two years. The duo led the Huskies to a 39-0 season en route to the 2002 national championship. Bird and Taurasi have both taken home All-American and Player of The Year honors.

Now the list of UConn greats could go on forever, but that is not what this piece is about. It’s about where current Husky star Paige Bueckers stands on a list of legends.

Bueckers has made an impact on college basketball from the moment she stepped on campus whether it be a friendly rivalry with Caitlin Clark, leading the Huskies to three final fours or most notably becoming the first-ever freshman to win AP National Player of the Year.

At the time, a freshman season like Bueckers’ had never been seen before.

She scored double-digit points in 28 of 29 games, including 14 20-point games. Other accolades that Bueckers achieved in her debut season were Big East Player of the Year, Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player and 2021 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team. Bueckers also hold the UConn freshman season assist record with 168.

With a heavily accomplished and record-breaking rookie season, Bueckers was on pace to have one of the greatest college careers of all time. Many believed that she could’ve taken home three more Player of the Year awards, which would have surpassed fellow Husky Breanna Stewart.

However, this was not the case, as Bueckers fell victim to the injury plague. The UConn star missed 19 games in the 2021-22 season with a knee injury. Bueckers then missed the entire 2022-23 season after suffering a torn ACL in August of 2022.

In the last game Bueckers played before her injury, the Huskies fell to South Carolina in the National Championship game. In the season she missed, UConn fell to Ohio State in the Sweet 16 to end the Huskies' 17 consecutive Elite Eight streak.

This left many wondering how UConn’s season would have looked had Bueckers not been watching from the sidelines.

Bueckers came back for her redshirt junior year in the 2023-24 season, hoping to get back to the level that she was once at. The former freshman phenom didn’t skip a beat as she took home a couple of the same honors that she did her freshman year. This includes Big East Player of the Year, Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player and 2024 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team.

In this season Bueckers also reached the 1,000-point mark in her 55th career game, tying Maya Moore as the fastest Husky to reach this point.

Bueckers led the Huskies back to the Final Four by beating the newest young star JuJu Watkins and USC. Bueckers had a double-double performance in the Elite Eight win, posting 28 points and 10 rebounds. UConn would eventually fall to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in a heartbreaking 71-69 Final Four loss.

There was much speculation around whether or not Bueckers would return to Storrs for another year. Due to her age, Bueckers was WNBA draft eligible and despite a couple of off years, was still projected to be a top draft pick.

On senior night, Bueckers announced that she would be returning to UConn for another season.

Bueckers made history again on Jan.19 with an 18-point performance against Seton Hall that led her to surpass 2,000 career points. She became the fastest Husky to reach this point, doing so in 102 games.

While there's no doubt that Bueckers has had a decorated collegiate career and will go down as one of the all-time UConn greats. But she has still yet to do what almost all of the other greats have done; win a national championship.

Bueckers hopes to lead the Huskies back to victory this postseason to complete her historic career, but it won’t be easy.

Gianna Dowling is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email gmd5738@psu.edu.