The UConn women’s basketball team earned its first commitment of 2020, and it came from the No. 1 recruit in the country.
Paige Bueckers, a point guard from Eden Prairie, Minn., announced her commitment to the Huskies on Monday night in a post on Twitter.
“First, all glory to God, without him I wouldn’t be in this position,” Bueckers wrote. “Second, thank you to all the coaches who have spent their time and energy recruiting me. I have been very fortunate to build amazing relationships with amazing people, and experience things that I wouldn’t trade for the world! A huge thank you to my parents, family, teammates, coaches, trainers, and all who have helped me become the person I am today, both on and off the court. As a young kid, I always dreamed of playing basketball at the Division I level under coach Geno Auriemma at the University of Connecticut, and now I take my first steps into realizing that dream. UConn bound. Go Huskies.”
Auriemma was spotted at one of Bueckers’ postseason games in March. Bueckers could one day be the replacement for junior Crystal Dangerfield. Bueckers was the 2018 Gatorade Minnesota Player of the Year and a member of the 2018 U17 national team. According to MaxPreps, she averaged 24.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
The commitment also marks a turn in UConn’s recruiting, which was starting to draw criticism after landing just one recruit in the class of 2019 — Aubrey Griffin.
Kelli Stacy can be reached at kstacy@courant.com.
