Paige Bueckers, who plays for the University of Connecticut Huskies women’s basketball team, recently praised God for helping her grow through “trials and tribulations” during a season when she was sidelined with an injury.
The 22-year-old Minnesota native scored 28 points against the USC Trojans on Monday, leading his team back to the NCAA Final Four.
“I’m living proof,” Bakkers told an ESPN reporter. “[God] It works in mysterious ways. Last year I was praying to get back to this stage. And He gave me trials and tribulations. But it was to build my character. It was to test my faith. She added that she “just kept believing” and “did everything I could to help God do what I couldn’t do.”
Booker also pointed to faith when a reporter pointed out that coach Geno Auriemma said it would take a “miracle” for his team to get this far.
“With God on your side and hard work, you can overcome anything,” she said. “With faith and faith… perseverance and resilience. It all depends on how you overcome adversity in life.”
Coach Auriemma said the Buccaneers are playing at a “different level” and are an inspiration to those around them.
“Paige was doing what Paige did today,” he said after the Huskies beat USC.
“She’s basketball. She embodies greatness every time she steps on the court,” teammate Ashlyn Shade said of the Buccaneers.
The Huskies are scheduled to face the Iowa Hawkeyes and superstar Caitlin Clark on April 5th. The winning team will advance to the national championship game, which neither the Buccaneers nor Clark have won.
as church leaders Buccaneers was plagued by several injuries throughout college, including one that sidelined him for the entire 2022-23 season with a torn ACL, according to reports. Nevertheless, she claimed that her God kept her strong through her challenges.
“Part of me thinks God is calling me to use this.” [injury]. I feel like we’ll have a great story to tell by the end of it,” she told ESPN in November 2023.
She also praised God for helping her grow in faith during her recovery and see setbacks as “not obstacles, just waves of adversity that I can overcome.”
While God didn’t promise a life without obstacles, “God did promise to be there every step of the way,” Bakkers added.
Image credit: ©Getty Images / steph chambers / staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributor to Christian Headlines and host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast dedicated to sound doctrine and Biblical truth. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary.
