STORRS, Conn. — UW star Paige Bueckers and coach Geno Auriemma say they will return to school next season.
Bueckers, an academic senior, made the announcement during the Senior Night Ceremony at Gampel Pavilion after the team’s game. 85-44 win over Georgetown on Friday night.
“I want to address the elephant in the room,” Bakkers told the crowd, adding, “Unfortunately, this year is not my last.”
Following the announcement, her coach ended speculation that she would retire after the season.
During the team’s NCAA post-college senior night ceremony
Basketball game against Georgetown. AP
He joked to reporters that he plans to come back next year “until Page announces he’s coming back.”
He then added, “Yes, I’ll be back.”
Bueckers was named Player of the Year as a freshman and spent the season playing in front of cardboard cutouts during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the Huskies to the national semifinals and defeating Arizona. Defeated.
She spent most of her sophomore year on the bench due to a tibial plateau fracture in her left knee, but returned in time to lead the Huskies to the national championship game, where they lost to South Carolina.
She suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee before last season and was sidelined all year.
The Buccaneers, Aaliyah Edwards, Nika Mule and Aubrey Griffin were recognized Friday.
griffin, A person who tore his anterior cruciate ligament last month.He also announced that he will return next season. She is one of five Huskies who will miss the remainder of her season due to injury.
Other players Azi Fuad, Yana El-Alfi, Caroline Ducharme and Anaya Patterson are all expected to return.
Edwards and Mule did not announce their plans, but both said they were “not done yet.”
Bueckers has two years of eligibility remaining.
Edwards, Mule and Griffin each have one.
However, both Edwards and the Buccaneers are projected to be top first-round picks if they enter the WNBA Draft.
As international players, Mule (Croatia) and Edwards (Canada) also haven’t been able to earn the NIL money that flowed to their teammates during their college years.
Auriemma said he would be surprised if Mule or Edwards returned for another year.
Auriemma said she wasn’t sure if Bookers would be back until she announced it to the crowd.
“I never pushed it on her either,” he said.
The Buccaneers said Thursday they are not giving up on winning a national championship this season despite five decisive losses to top teams: North Carolina State, UCLA, Texas, Notre Dame and South Carolina.
UW only has four regular season games left, including a home game against Creighton on Monday in Hartford and a home game against Villanova on Feb. 28 in Gampel.
