The No. 1 prospect in the 2020 recruiting class Paige Bueckers is heading to play for UConn Women Basketball.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma once again proved why he is the best recruiter in women’s basketball. Auriemma picked up another recruiting coup with the verbal commitment of Paige Bueckers on April 1. The 5-foot-11 point guard is the top-rated prospect in the Class of 2020, according to ESPN Hoopgurlz. Bueckers spoke to the Journal Inquirer following her announcement via twitter.
"“They have everything. I feel Coach Auriemma will get the best out of me. UConn always has a team-first attitude, even with all the individual accolades they get. They do things the right way. I love their attention to details. Whether it’s the way they all have their shirts tucked it, or the way they work and talk in practice, or just the way they stretch before game or practice, that meant a lot. It’s something that you want to be a part of.”"
The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native is the UConn’s first recruit in the 2020 class. She chose the Huskies over Duke, Maryland, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Oregon, Oregon State, South Carolina, Texas, and UCLA.
The five-star recruit is a poised lead guard who is extremely unselfish, possesses tight handles and is an excellent distributor. She thrives in transition, has the ability to get to the hole, and has range out to the 3-point line.
Bueckers averaged 24.4 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.7 steals this past season while leading Hopkins (Minnetonka, MN) to a state title with an unblemished 32-0 record. The two-time Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year has tallied 2,288 points during her three-year high school tenure. She also has captured three gold medals with USA Basketball.
Bueckers is the sixth No. 1 rated prospect to choose UConn over the last 10 years, joining Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (2011), Breanna Stewart (2012), Katie Lou Samuelson (2015), Megan Walker (2017) and Christyn Williams (2018). Mosqueda-Lewis and Stewart are currently playing in the WNBA while Samuelson will be joining them following the conclusion of this season.
By the time Bueckers, who is slated to sign a national letter of intent in November, hits the Storrs (CT), campus only five players from this season’s Final Four squad will likely still be with the team. The good news is that Walker and Williams will be two of the players that are expected to be on the Huskies roster in 2019-20. As of right now, five-star Aubrey Griffin is the only member of Auriemma’s 2019 recruiting class.