Paige Bueckers isn’t going pro quite yet, will play 2024-25 season for UConn
On Friday night, University of Connecticut guard Paige Bueckers announced she’s returning to school for the 2024-25 season and forgoing entering the 2024 WNBA draft. During the senior night ceremony, Bueckers made the announcement after a Huskies win.
“I know everybody wants me to address the elephant in the room,” Bueckers said. “Unfortunately, this will not be my last senior night here at UConn.”
Head coach Geno Auriemma learned about Bueckers’ return at the same time as everyone else in the arena. However, he was not surprised that she would return.
“Paige is very, very bad at making decisions. When we were recruiting her, I had to threaten her because she couldn’t decide,” Auriemma said.
Paige Bueckers will be returning to UCONN next season! https://t.co/R1cHP0ZnnC
— Khristina Williams (@Khristina) February 17, 2024
Bueckers explained why she was making the return.
“Just the family camaraderie here, just loving it here, loving my teammates, loving my coaches, me not having the four years that I planned on, not being able to play as much,” Bueckers said when asked by SNY about her decision. “I just feel like I’m not done yet here. I feel like God is still writing my story here. I’m just blessed to be a part of this program, and I never want it to end.”
Bueckers was projected to be a top 2024 WNBA draft pick, so teams will need to reprioritize their choices. The draft will be held on April 15.
