After icing the cake of her college career with an NCAA Championship, on Monday night, Paige Bueckers became the sixth University of Connecticut player to be the top pick in a WNBA Draft. She follows in the footsteps of Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2004), Tina Charles (2010), Maya Moore (2011) and Breanna Stewart (2016).
“Just so grateful to be here,” said Bueckers, who was chosen by the Dallas Wings. “I don’t want to take this for granted. I’ve been focusing a lot about being present and being where my feet are, so to be at this stage, to be here, to have a lot of my supporters here and people who have helped me get here, it just means everything to me.”
The day prior to the draft, Bueckers joined her Huskies teammates in a parade to celebrate the program’s 12th national title. Teammates present and past were on hand at The Shed at Hudson Yards to cheer her on and feel the energy of the night. Two other UConn players were also drafted on Monday, guard Kaitlyn Chen and forward Aubrey Griffin.
Although clearly assumed to be the number one pick, Bueckers said she didn’t take anything for granted. Donning a Dallas Wings cap for an interview with ESPN, she admitted to be “running on great fumes” as the eight days since cementing her place in basketball history have been hectic.
“Nothing is guaranteed, so for this moment to be here and it actually happen, it’s nerve-racking,” said Bueckers, who quickly learned about Tex-Mex cuisine. “You just have a level of excitement, nervousness, bittersweet feeling knowing that my journey at UConn is over, but excited for the next one to begin. To be able to share that moment with the people sitting at my table and also the people not sitting at my table, they played a huge role in it. So just happiness and joy.”
Bueckers will bring passion and energy to the WNBA. She described herself as a selfless leader. The Dallas Wings are in rebuilding mode. Bueckers will play alongside Arike Ogunbowale, DiJonai Carrington and Maddy Siegrist.
“We have established that there’s new levels of standards that are going to be set in play,” said Bueckers. “There’s a new GM, new coach, new assistant coach, a whole new team, so we’re excited for that fresh start.”