RockyMTblue2
Don't Look Up!
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Paige Holds Court and Dodges The Key Question
- Thread starter RockyMTblue2
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I got a notification for this article and saw ACL and my heart dropped. Pretty good article by Alexa Philippou.
www.espn.com
UConn's Bueckers (ACL) a full go, 'feeling good'
Paige Bueckers is "feeling really good" about hitting the court with UConn for the first time since her ACL tear in August 2022.
www.espn.com
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Let’s hope Paige stays healthy, her senior season is stellar, and she leaves Storrs with a National Championship.
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I doubt that will have anything to do with it! She is happy here! That is the thing that will decide whether she stays for another year.
I agree 100%. Paige chose Uconn because she knew that she could win multiple N.C.'s at Uconn. Paige did not expect the horrendous injuries she sustained and sidelined her from her goal, my opinion. With her close relationship with Azzi, I also believe Paige will stay and play with Azzi until Azzi leaves for the WNBA and join Azzi my opinion. GO PAIGE!! GO AZZI!!! GO HUSKIES!!!!
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Agree-great article by ESPN and Phillippou. As Geno noted, Paige's expectation are realistic - she's not going to step on the court and immediately be the Player of the Year. It will take time.I got a notification for this article and saw ACL and my heart dropped. Pretty good article by Alexa Philippou.
UConn's Bueckers (ACL) a full go, 'feeling good'
Paige Bueckers is "feeling really good" about hitting the court with UConn for the first time since her ACL tear in August 2022.
oldude
bamboo lover
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Yea, I figure it’ll take Paige a game or two to be breaking defenders ankles and lighting up opponents….
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Freshman Paige was a fun loving kid and she won NPOY. Senior Paige is a seasoned veteran, practically pro-ready, with a point to prove and a statement to make. And this time she has a sturdy supporting cast in the backcourt in Azzi Nika Caroline Inês KK and Ashlynn.
Paige won’t need to carry this team on her shoulders alone, though she’s perfectly capable of it. She carried a not as well stocked squad to an NC game after all. This year’s Huskies are going to be more like a cannon aimed at opponents. Geno has reloaded.
My prediction: Paige & Co will slice through D1 WBB like a hot knife through butter.
Paige won’t need to carry this team on her shoulders alone, though she’s perfectly capable of it. She carried a not as well stocked squad to an NC game after all. This year’s Huskies are going to be more like a cannon aimed at opponents. Geno has reloaded.
My prediction: Paige & Co will slice through D1 WBB like a hot knife through butter.
If she can't win with this team she won't win one. They have all the pieces and then some, they will win and she will be the first or second pick in the WNBA draft in the spring. If for some reason she hasn't finished her schooling maybe she comes back but that would be a huge longshot.
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I'm taking this to mean she's focusing on what she can control and the success of the team for this season. Similar to Aaliyah's comments this week. They know what they want to accomplish.
I know fans do care, but the "who is or isn't" coming back for 2024 is a distraction that the media will continue to push for clicks. Get ahead of it, end the conversation and move on to the upcoming season. Good approach.
I know fans do care, but the "who is or isn't" coming back for 2024 is a distraction that the media will continue to push for clicks. Get ahead of it, end the conversation and move on to the upcoming season. Good approach.
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I'm calling it, she'll stay another season.
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What bittersweet memories! The season that could have been, that almost was and then wasn’t. It began with a series of peak Paige performances culminating in the ND game in which she took it to the Irish and showed Miles Mabrey and Citron that, good as they were, they weren’t at her level yet. But there was no joy in my house after that game since Paige had also just demonstrated exactly how much we’d lost when she went down.
It took Evina to begin to rebuild our house of cards after a shocking loss to GT and a near loss to UCLA. And Caroline stepped up and shouldered a heavy load, and then Christyn remembered how great she could be. A loss to Villanova and we looked shaky despite Azzi’s heroics, and it looked like we might lose to DePaul until Caroline again showed her mettle. Soon enough we’d find a new mojo under Evina’s steady hand and opponents began to fear us.
And then Paige came back, shaky at first and then stronger and stronger, and we started to look like the old UConn. A close call against UCF reminded the girls of what grit looks like. Then devastating wins against Indiana NC St and Stanford in which Paige seemed like karma incarnate. She’d shoot and the opposing players would assume it was going in, and generally the ball obeyed Paige’s will.
Alas, SC remained and they proved to be too much for us, down Dorka and with Azzi and Liv under the weather, and Caroline’s body giving out on her. Paige played her heart out, practically stitched together with baling wire and duct tape herself. But it wasn’t enough and it most definitely was SC’s year, not ours.
But there is no team like that SC this year, no juggernauts other than us. It may take a few games before peak Paige comes out of her shell. But once she does, I don’t think she’ll accept anything less than an NC this year. And her supporting cast is as good as any she’s ever had, maybe better, with Aaliyah playing AA level ball, with Nika coming off a whole season perfecting her leadership skills, with Aubrey peaking in anticipation of the draft, with Azzi ready to take over games as needed. Caroline’s health may still be a question mark and the freshmen still untried and Amari is still a mystery. But we will have the best starting 5 in D1 by a wide margin and a deeper supporting cast than they’ve ever had.
Yes, I remember how great Paige can be, and I can hardly wait to see her on the court again. Two years ago, all the TV folks could say was “She’s built different.” What will this year’s catch phrase be?
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I'm pretty sure that's only true if Azzi enters the draft this year, too. I gather Azzi will be eligible after only her third year. But if Azzi stays, I suspect Paige will stay also.
oldude
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“But in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
Benjamin Franklin
MooseJaw
Bullmoose#1
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Where's Carnac when we need him,,,
For quite a few athletes with an extra potential year from Covid, or an injury redshirt, the completion of a bachelor's degree in four years doesn't affect their decision much. They have an opportunity to get a head start on a masters and if on schedule could be halfway to getting one from an extra year. In Paige's case with two possible extra years she could leave school with two degrees, a ton of NIL money, a very high draft position, and the ability to play year round if she wanted to, knowing she had a masters degree she could utilize when her playing career was over. Not a bad scenario IMO.
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Paige said at least twice about how much she enjoys the college experience. The pro game will always be there for her (and Azzi), so I think they both stay for another season to play together and win a NC. The real question is whether Nika goes after this year. She's not a lock for the WNBA, although she's definitely a lock for a pro team in Europe.
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Always? How come Sue Bird doesn't play anymore if the pro game is always going to be there?
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Seriously?
"Always going to be there for her" refers to the opportunity to play as a pro at some point in the future. In case you weren't aware, Sue Bird has already had a long and illustrious pro career.
Paige is not yet eligible. Once she decides that it's time to move on to that chapter of her life (next year, the year after, or whenever) she will. But whether it's one, two or three years from now she will unquestionably have that option (barring some sort of catastrophic career-ending event), hence "it is always going to be there for her".
Don't be a troll and take it literally. She's clearly not going to wait until she's 40 to avail herself of the opportunity to turn pro.
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Though, admittedly winning #12 could have some bearing on her decision, I will be very surprised if she leaves either way! Watch her on the team availability video last week. She spoke, very feelingly of how proud she was to play here, how good she felt putting on a UConn uniform! She has a special relationship with her coach, she is adored by everyone here, she already makes more money than all but a very few girls her age, she’s manifestly happy, she plays on the most talented team in the country and will likely have to play on one of the worst teams in the W, and, and, the team will be even better next year! My question is, why in the world would she leave?