UConn star Bueckers arrives at her final season, eager to chase that elusive national title

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — At times, there seemed to be daily Paige Bueckers sightings at high-profile sporting events this summer. The UConn star was at the U.S. Open, multiple WNBA games and she threw out the first pitch at a Minnesota Twins game, a nod to her home state. The focus has narrowed for Bueckers and her UConn teammates with the season opener coming up fast. It will be the last one in college for Bueckers, who has a final chance to chase a national championship for her powerhouse program. It's the one thing that has eluded her and all the training and injury rehab work is accompanied by a mindset of whatever it takes. "I have loved my entire time at UConn," Bueckers said at Big East media day event at Madison Square Garden. "I can't imagine it coming to an end so I try not to worry about the past, I don't try to worry about the future, I try to stay where I am." Bueckers was the first freshman named AP national player of the year back in 2021 before a series of injuries cost her one full season and parts of another. She returned last season and averaged 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game to lead the Huskies to the Final Four. She had the option to enter the WNBA draft but announced in February that she would be back. She brings deep experience with adversity, leadership and big games and turned 23 earlier this month. "I think she feels it," coach Geno Auriemma said. "She is at practice and she is doing some things at practice that haven't happened much in the four years that she has been here. In the past, she might defer to you or to you and I don't see that happening on the defensive end or on the offensive end. She is just taking on, 'I don't want to leave any stone unturned.'" With veteran players Azzi Fudd, Caroline Ducharme and Aubrey Griffin working their way back from injuries, Bueckers, a preseason AP All-American for the third time, is often on the court practicing with players in their first or second year at UConn. Auriemma wants to see the younger players to step up, to not be so reliant on Bueckers. During a recent practice, six consecutive baskets were scored — none of them by Bueckers — and both she and Auriemma want to see more of that when the season begins. "She knows that this is her last year and you can definitely feel that love, that passion and drive every day in practice," sophomore guard Ashlynn Shade said. "She holds everybody accountable, making sure we are locked in and playing to the best of our ability to accomplish that goal that we have." UConn is ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25 and was the unanimous pick to win the Big East. Whether it is speaking to rival coaches or players, it is easy to see how much respect Bueckers has around the sport and she is one of the familiar faces amid a surge of popularity for women's basketball. Creighton senior guard Morgan Maly said Bueckers always plays the game at her own pace, one of the things that makes her difficult to deal with. Villanova coach Denise Dillon took it even further. "I have said for years that I think Paige Bueckers is the best player in the game," Dillon said. "Paige is off the charts with her skill set and her ability to play the game on both ends of the floor, it is impressive. From her freshman year, I thought she was the best player out there and here we are how many years later, and my thoughts haven't changed." The season begins on Nov. 7 against Boston University. UConn will face four top-10 teams during the season with a deep and talented roster that should make the Huskies a contender for the program's 12th national title. UConn hasn't won one since 2016, though it was the national runner-up in 2022. "I feel like I am living my childhood dream so I never want to take it for granted," Bueckers said. "I am not entitled to anything, I am not sure what each day will bring so I am trying to embrace the moment and have fun. It is my first healthy offseason where I got to enjoy it and I got to do a lot of things and be in one place rehabbing." A healthy Bueckers could be ready to save her best for last and accomplish the one thing that has been just out of her grasp. "If they want to say that she is the best guard to ever play basketball, she is going to show you that," Auriemma said. "If they say, she is overhyped, they are going to see that too. She is going to play great, she is going to have some unbelievable moments and she is going to have some down moments. I think Paige is somebody that everybody is going to watch." The desire to be a part of a national championship dream is definitely there for Bueckers. "With all the adversity and all the hardships, it would mean everything to cap it off," she said. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women's college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball