Can Paige lead UConn to #12?

[PacoSwede]

... This coming season, with all due respect to Cameron Brink, Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark or any other WBB player, when Paige Bueckers is healthy, she is the BEST PLAYER ON THE COURT!!! While Paige possesses considerable athleticism and basketball skill, she is not the biggest player, and certainly not the strongest. Paige is not even the best shooter on her own team. What makes Paige the best player on the court is what’s between her ears.
...

i'll take issue with the italicized last sentence above.

i thoroughly agree with most of the rest -- though the thread title left me disinterested (geez, off course paige can lead uconn to #12; we all know that). it took me awhile to open up this thread.

what's between paige's ears is exceptional, but not what makes her the best, i submit. the real reason was something you noted later, when you wrote:

'If that was the sum of Paige’s talent, she would be a great player, but she also possesses that extremely rare, next level talent to play her best during the biggest games under the greatest pressure.'

you buried the lede. THAT is why she is the best. It has nothing to do with the multiple talents which you rightly cited as hers, nor her knowledge of the game.

these are possessed by other superior players. few have them all in their arsenal, and some have attributes paige lacks. however, none come near paige in the one crucial area -- doing what is needed when the game is on the line.

she is clutch.

not always, of course, but she's clutch more than anyone in the game. (well, actually, DT is in the same class and her record is longer, but that also is why i think D is the GOAT.)

it couldn't happen without the rest of paige's talents, and it's a big factor in her leadership presence.

am i all wet on this?

 

[tchalla1]

Maybe the Iowa or LSU fans?

And don't forget SC--whom I feel has the most complete and composite team in the country--UConn has great guard depth, but still a little light in the front court. SC has tremendous depth everywhere. They are the most complete team I've seen thus far...

 

[DEpup]

If healthy. Sure thing she can lead the team to #12.
It's all about her health.

 

[my2cents]

Paige will do whatever she has to to win. In the SC game her freshman year and the NC St Elite 8 game her sophomore year, Paige absolutely took over the game when it was necessary to bring home the victory.

I agree she has the ability, it's just not something she does very frequently, even when needed.

 

[Jewels]

The pattern we will see, is that in uncompetitive games Paige will defer to her teammates. Instead of taking her shots she will pass to a more open shooter. That shooter, most likely will not even be close to the shooting efficiency of Paige (other than Azzi) Other teams will slouch off the players, daring them to shoot, and they will.
Paige does not feel comfortable taking over a game, which she has the talent to do. It's not her nature to do that. I feel that in the last 4 games of our season, her reluctance to dominate, could be our downfall.

Wondering if you saw the elite 8 game against NC State a couple years ago in Bridgeport? Comfortable or not she took over the game!

 

[visitingcock]

And don't forget SC--whom I feel has the most complete and composite team in the country--UConn has great guard depth, but still a little light in the front court. SC has tremendous depth everywhere. They are the most complete team I've seen thus far...

Well, after one whole game and seeing maybe six teams today, thank you. But we still have some growing to do. Let’s look again after the Maryland game on Sunday.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Well, after one whole game and seeing maybe six teams today, thank you. But we still have some growing to do. Let’s look again after the Maryland game on Sunday.

I'm expecting the Gamecocks to beat the Terps by 20 at home. We'll see.

 

[Skeets]

i'll take issue with the italicized last sentence above.

i thoroughly agree with most of the rest -- though the thread title left me disinterested (geez, off course paige can lead uconn to #12; we all know that). it took me awhile to open up this thread.

what's between paige's ears is exceptional, but not what makes her the best, i submit. the real reason was something you noted later, when you wrote:

'If that was the sum of Paige’s talent, she would be a great player, but she also possesses that extremely rare, next level talent to play her best during the biggest games under the greatest pressure.'

you buried the lede. THAT is why she is the best. It has nothing to do with the multiple talents which you rightly cited as hers, nor her knowledge of the game.

these are possessed by other superior players. few have them all in their arsenal, and some have attributes paige lacks. however, none come near paige in the one crucial area -- doing what is needed when the game is on the line.

she is clutch.

not always, of course, but she's clutch more than anyone in the game. (well, actually, DT is in the same class and her record is longer, but that also is why i think D is the GOAT.)

it couldn't happen without the rest of paige's talents, and it's a big factor in her leadership presence.

am i all wet on this?

Well, you might have started an interesting discussion. Assume you team is down by 1 point. Who do you want to have the ball in her hands? DT (in her prime, or maybe that doesn't matter) or Paige? I'll say it's pretty much a coin toss. There is no wrong answer here, but I'll go with DT simply because she would smack the defender her defender up side the head and go in for the layup. Paige might also score, but no smack. Too nice to do that. Get an edge Paige!

 

[VAUConnFan]

There are a number of fantastic ballplayers in WCBB right now. That we are even debating whether Paige is the best player is a testament to that reality. It would be nice to see Coach Auriemma win a national championship without having a Wade Trophy winner on the floor(either current or future). It can happen this year. But then Fudd wins it next year...

 

[The deacon]

No single player wins a basketball championship all by themselves. But this past season, Geno complemented POY Maddy Siegrist by stating, “Anytime you have the best player on the court, you have a chance to win. Believe me I know.” As the HC of UConn WBB, Geno has won 1,180 games, 54 regular & postseason conference championships, 22 NCAA Regional Championships and 11 National Championships. For a significant majority of those games, Geno had the best player on the court.

This coming season, with all due respect to Cameron Brink, Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark or any other WBB player, when Paige Bueckers is healthy, she is the BEST PLAYER ON THE COURT!!! While Paige possesses considerable athleticism and basketball skill, she is not the biggest player, and certainly not the strongest. Paige is not even the best shooter on her own team. What makes Paige the best player on the court is what’s between her ears.

When she arrived in Storrs out of HS, Paige already possessed a PHD in basketball. Paige knows when to pass and when to shoot, when to slow it down and when to push tempo. Paige has incredible court vision, she’s aware of what everyone on the court is doing and she sees, or perhaps envisions, what’s going to happen next. The great majority of the time Paige makes the right decision, executes flawlessly and has that unique ability to make everyone on her team better!

If that was the sum of Paige’s talent, she would be a great player, but she also possesses that extremely rare, next level talent to play her best during the biggest games under the greatest pressure. Whether hitting “the bounce” to seal the win over #1 SC, dropping a huge 3 to secure the win at TN or making one clutch play after another in the heart stopping, double-OT victory over NC State in the Elite 8, Paige is able to sharpen her focus, slow the game down and make plays while other mere mortals get tight, miss shots, turn the ball over and breakdown defensively.

UConn WBB has had more than their share of #1 recruits. IMO, no other player’s college decision had quite the impact of Paige. When Paige announced that she was coming to UConn she was already a rock star in MN, routinely playing before packed HS gyms full of fellow students, basketball fans, a parade of college coaches and an occasional MN Timberwolf. By the time she arrived at UConn as a freshman, Paige had already won 4 world & international championships as the pg and leader on the court for USA Basketball. Before she played her first game as a Husky, Geno made the remarkable comment that, “She’s even better than I thought!’

With all the hype surrounding her arrival at UConn, surely Paige would never be able to live up to the extraordinary expectations placed on her young shoulders…….. Not only did Paige live up to those expectations, but she far exceeded them, earning every POY in sight as a freshman, while also leading UConn to the FF. The national semifinal loss to AZ was certainly a disappointment. But it only served to heighten expectations for Paige’s sophomore season at UConn.

Paige’s sophomore year was a roller coaster. Six games into the season, Paige suffered a tibial plateau fracture to her left knee. Somehow, against all odds, she made it back to lead the Huskies during the Big Dance to an improbable matchup in the National Championship game against an outstanding SC team. On that day UConn played with injuries or illness to 4 key players: Dorka, Liv, Evina & Azzi. While SC was certainly the best team all season long, we can only wonder if a healthy UConn team would have been able to pull off the upset.

Last season, without Paige in the lineup, along with numerous injuries to key players, UConn fought hard all season long, winning the BE regular and conference tournament championships once again. But in uncharacteristic fashion, the Huskies fell short, losing in the Sweet 16 for the first time in 17 years.

For UConn WBB fans, it can be easy to feel cheated. Yes, injuries are part of the game. But in 3 seasons, Paige has played in only 46 of 103 UConn games. On paper, UConn is one of the strongest teams in the country this coming season. Of course, there are several great teams in WBB and no guarantees. But it is well past time for UConn’s run of injuries to turn around. America loves a comeback story. If Paige comes back to lead the Huskies to Championship #12, it will be a wonderful story that will captivate American sports and live forever in the hearts and minds of UConn WBB fans.

This is a beautiful summation of what Paige is, and what she could be... like everyone else here, I pray that all of it comes to pass. The only time I've seen her play in person was the season opener vs. a pretty good Arkansas team in November 2021. All she did was shoot 15 of 19 from the floor (while usually well guarded), score 34 points and almost single-handedly help the Huskies avoid the upset loss. I can't wait to see her vs. Dayton, and numerous more games this season.

Oldude, I've got two quick points to make:

1) I'll argue that, until the time comes that Azzi is consistent as a premier shooter in games, I've got Paige as the best shooter on the team.
2) You (and pretty much everyone here) undervalues Caitlin Clark. Your first three paragraphs, all highly laudable and on-target about Paige, could just as easily have been written about Caitlin. That she happens to play with less talented teammates somehow seems to make people forget just how remarkably gifted Caitlin is as a scorer, yes, also as a rebounder, as a passer and, yes, in making her teammates better. Oh, well, as I've said so many times on the BY, I just wish more people could have watched Clark the past few years as she willed the Hawkeyes to wins over teams that were clearly better stocked with top players. Have you folks forgotten what she did in the NCAA tournament last year, including her brilliance vs. South Carolina?
3) Oh, yeah... yes, Oldude, she can!

Anyway, well done, Oldude, I always enjoy reading your analyses. Keep 'em coming.

 

[BBallF]

Paige, like all the great ones, has the ability to see the game in slow motion while at the same time knowing intuitively what the play will be not just one step but two steps ahead. She also can take over a game and focus enough not to miss when she has to make the shot. Of course, her legacy needs a national championship to solidify the claim and I just hope she gets the chance this year. She is a treat to see live because you can watch just her if you want to. Even on defense, she knows what's coming. She has a mind for the game much like a great chess player. And we get to see it in action starting tomorrow night.

 

[Bone Dog]

You (and pretty much everyone here) undervalues Caitlin Clark

How did she make it into your comment? Old Dude merely gave her “all due respect” along with Brink and other great players and you still aren’t satisfied. Do we have to give Caitlin undue respect now? It has to be possible to praise Paige for who she is.

We have all watched Caitlin many (Many) times and some of us have come to a different judgment about her than you have. We like Paige better.

Now back to the opening question: yes, Paige can definitely lead UConn to another NC. Maybe two. Some of us will be surprised (but not devastated) if she doesn’t manage it this year. But many of us kind of expect it and all of us are ready to celebrate it.

 

[Scot-e]

And don't forget SC--whom I feel has the most complete and composite team in the country--UConn has great guard depth, but still a little light in the front court. SC has tremendous depth everywhere. They are the most complete team I've seen thus far...

Guards win championships!

 

[tchalla1]

Guards win championships!

Complete teams win championships...

 

[The deacon]

How did she make it into your comment? Old Dude merely gave her “all due respect” along with Brink and other great players and you still aren’t satisfied. Do we have to give Caitlin undue respect now? It has to be possible to praise Paige for who she is.

We have all watched Caitlin many (Many) times and some of us have come to a different judgment about her than you have. We like Paige better.

Now back to the opening question: yes, Paige can definitely lead UConn to another NC. Maybe two. Some of us will be surprised (but not devastated) if she doesn’t manage it this year. But many of us kind of expect it and all of us are ready to celebrate it.

In answer to your question, Bone Dog, because Oldude brought her up...

I might like Paige better, too, but I don't know either of them personally. I differ from Oldude in his blanket statement that, if healthy, Paige's always the best player on the court. To this point, that's not been shown as conclusively as Caitlin has done often over the past two season, at least to me (and maybe only me here?). That I feel Caitlin is as good as her (or better) may be my burden to bear on the Boneyard, but one I'm glad to take on.

Let's put it this way: if Paige is better than Caitlin this season, trusting they're both healthy, UConn will be well nigh unbeatable. I'm so happy Paige is back so we can make these comparisons, right?

Isn't it great to have such differences of opinion about such matters?

 

[Bone Dog]

In answer to your question, Bone Dog, because Oldude brought her up...

I might like Paige better, too, but I don't know either of them personally. I differ from Oldude in his blanket statement that, if healthy, Paige's always the best player on the court. To this point, that's not been shown as conclusively as Caitlin has done often over the past two season, at least to me (and maybe only me here?). That I feel Caitlin is as good as her (or better) may be my burden to bear on the Boneyard, but one I'm glad to take on.

Let's put it this way: if Paige is better than Caitlin this season, trusting they're both healthy, UConn will be well nigh unbeatable. I'm so happy Paige is back so we can make these comparisons, right?

Isn't it great to have such differences of opinion about such matters?

But Oldude only mentioned her with "all due respect." Olddude's exact words. And yet you complained that we don't respect her enough. This is the puzzle. It's why I asked if you were requiring us to give Caitlin undue respect."

Also, the fact is Paige is always the best player on the court. This has been true in all matchups with Iowa, too. Even last season, when Paige's alter ego, Azzi, took her place, she outplayed Caitlin by a considerable margin. This is how it always goes and there's lots of empirical evidence for it. Paige is always the better player, whenever she plays. No ifs about it.

And don't worry, being second best to Paige, or maybe third best to Paige and Azzi, still leaves Caitlin plenty of room to be great in her own right. There's plenty of praise to go around.

But Paige is always the best!

 

[The deacon]

But Oldude only mentioned her with "all due respect." Olddude's exact words. And yet you complained that we don't respect her enough. This is the puzzle. It's why I asked if you were requiring us to give Caitlin undue respect."

Also, the fact is Paige is always the best player on the court. This has been true in all matchups with Iowa, too. Even last season, when Paige's alter ego, Azzi, took her place, she outplayed Caitlin by a considerable margin. This is how it always goes and there's lots of empirical evidence for it. Paige is always the better player, whenever she plays. No ifs about it.

And don't worry, being second best to Paige, or maybe third best to Paige and Azzi, still leaves Caitlin plenty of room to be great in her own right. There's plenty of praise to go around.

But Paige is always the best!

I certainly hope you're joshing, Bone Dog. So much of what you said here is un-Bone Dog-like, actually laughably off target.

Oh, well, everyone has the right to be arbitrary in her or his comments, as you were here.

Enough said. I simply want to enjoy watching both of them play as often as possible this season.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

No single player wins a basketball championship all by themselves. But this past season, Geno complemented POY Maddy Siegrist by stating, “Anytime you have the best player on the court, you have a chance to win. Believe me I know.” As the HC of UConn WBB, Geno has won 1,180 games, 54 regular & postseason conference championships, 22 NCAA Regional Championships and 11 National Championships. For a significant majority of those games, Geno had the best player on the court.

This coming season, with all due respect to Cameron Brink, Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark or any other WBB player, when Paige Bueckers is healthy, she is the BEST PLAYER ON THE COURT!!! While Paige possesses considerable athleticism and basketball skill, she is not the biggest player, and certainly not the strongest. Paige is not even the best shooter on her own team. What makes Paige the best player on the court is what’s between her ears.

When she arrived in Storrs out of HS, Paige already possessed a PHD in basketball. Paige knows when to pass and when to shoot, when to slow it down and when to push tempo. Paige has incredible court vision, she’s aware of what everyone on the court is doing and she sees, or perhaps envisions, what’s going to happen next. The great majority of the time Paige makes the right decision, executes flawlessly and has that unique ability to make everyone on her team better!

If that was the sum of Paige’s talent, she would be a great player, but she also possesses that extremely rare, next level talent to play her best during the biggest games under the greatest pressure. Whether hitting “the bounce” to seal the win over #1 SC, dropping a huge 3 to secure the win at TN or making one clutch play after another in the heart stopping, double-OT victory over NC State in the Elite 8, Paige is able to sharpen her focus, slow the game down and make plays while other mere mortals get tight, miss shots, turn the ball over and breakdown defensively.

UConn WBB has had more than their share of #1 recruits. IMO, no other player’s college decision had quite the impact of Paige. When Paige announced that she was coming to UConn she was already a rock star in MN, routinely playing before packed HS gyms full of fellow students, basketball fans, a parade of college coaches and an occasional MN Timberwolf. By the time she arrived at UConn as a freshman, Paige had already won 4 world & international championships as the pg and leader on the court for USA Basketball. Before she played her first game as a Husky, Geno made the remarkable comment that, “She’s even better than I thought!’

With all the hype surrounding her arrival at UConn, surely Paige would never be able to live up to the extraordinary expectations placed on her young shoulders…….. Not only did Paige live up to those expectations, but she far exceeded them, earning every POY in sight as a freshman, while also leading UConn to the FF. The national semifinal loss to AZ was certainly a disappointment. But it only served to heighten expectations for Paige’s sophomore season at UConn.

Paige’s sophomore year was a roller coaster. Six games into the season, Paige suffered a tibial plateau fracture to her left knee. Somehow, against all odds, she made it back to lead the Huskies during the Big Dance to an improbable matchup in the National Championship game against an outstanding SC team. On that day UConn played with injuries or illness to 4 key players: Dorka, Liv, Evina & Azzi. While SC was certainly the best team all season long, we can only wonder if a healthy UConn team would have been able to pull off the upset.

Last season, without Paige in the lineup, along with numerous injuries to key players, UConn fought hard all season long, winning the BE regular and conference tournament championships once again. But in uncharacteristic fashion, the Huskies fell short, losing in the Sweet 16 for the first time in 17 years.

For UConn WBB fans, it can be easy to feel cheated. Yes, injuries are part of the game. But in 3 seasons, Paige has played in only 46 of 103 UConn games. On paper, UConn is one of the strongest teams in the country this coming season. Of course, there are several great teams in WBB and no guarantees. But it is well past time for UConn’s run of injuries to turn around. America loves a comeback story. If Paige comes back to lead the Huskies to Championship #12, it will be a wonderful story that will captivate American sports and live forever in the hearts and minds of UConn WBB fans.

Every successful action requires at least two things:
1. A belief you will succeed.
2. The courage to act.

Having the best player makes everyone else braver.

 

[Bone Dog]

I certainly hope you're joshing, Bone Dog. So much of what you said here is un-Bone Dog-like, actually laughably off target.

Wait a second. Don’t you read emojis? I specifically put the “joshing” emoji on my post.

However, I also didn’t say anything “laughably off target.” I hope you were joshing. You forgot your emoji. What Caitlin did last season was great and comparable to what Paige did the previous season. But this doesn’t make her better.

And by every objective measure, head to head Paige/Azzi consistently outplays Caitlin. Even more importantly, some could argue that Caitlin’s heroics carry Iowa very far, but they may also have hampered the development of her teammates. This is arguable about her. But no one could say this about Paige, the consummate team player. She wins with her team, but she can bring the heat whenever it’s needed, and she has always been judicious in doing so.

When people overpraise Caitlin they are looking at stats and not context. Bringing the heat from deep has helped Iowa win many games. But it comes at a cost.

 

[boontonbomber]

Great to have Paige back, she has always been able to do those things that can't be coached. But UConn has got to really improve on the boards, and,despite what some say, I don't think they have played defense nearly as well as UConn's championship teams did. Without 5 players looking to rebound,, especially on the offensive end,, and in-your-face defense, you don't beat the best teams. I'm just not sure that this group is tough enough or nasty enough.

 

[The deacon]

Wait a second. Don’t you read emojis? I specifically put the “joshing” emoji on my post.

However, I also didn’t say anything “laughably off target.” I hope you were joshing. You forgot your emoji. What Caitlin did last season was great and comparable to what Paige did the previous season. But this doesn’t make her better.

And by every objective measure, head to head Paige/Azzi consistently outplays Caitlin. Even more importantly, some could argue that Caitlin’s heroics carry Iowa very far, but they may also have hampered the development of her teammates. This is arguable about her. But no one could say this about Paige, the consummate team player. She wins with her team, but she can bring the heat whenever it’s needed, and she has always been judicious in doing so.

When people overpraise Caitlin they are looking at stats and not context. Bringing the heat from deep has helped Iowa win many games. But it comes at a cost.

Off to Hartford... talk later!

 

[Dove]

Just the name Paige brings palpitations to the other teams coaches. With the roster Uconn now has the NC is probable, not possible. What Uconn has is 8 competent shooters and the best defense in the country. Paige is the keystone around which other players will follow her lead. I BELIEVE NO12 IS INEVITABLE!!!!!! GO HUSKIES!!!!!

She hasn't yet so we'll see.