"All of us are out of our shell already": UConn star Paige Bueckers engages in fun activities to create "tight-knit" environment for new team members

Paige Bueckers is making the most of her vibrant personality and aligning with UConn Huskies to reap the reward. The program sees three freshman players this season alongside a graduate transfer, needing a significant chemistry adjustment. Bueckers, through plenty of off-court and team bonding activities, is living up to the leadership mantle on the roster.

Moreover, as Bueckers jotted a healthy season last year, key players like Carolina Ducharme, Amari Debberry, Ines Bettencourt, Aubrey Griffin and Azzi Fudd went through health concerns, rendering an increased need for chemistry this time around.

“I feel like all of us are really out of our shell already,” Bueckers said in an interview at Werth Champions Center. “We're very close with each other. It's kind of been the theme my four years of just how close we are and how tight-knit our group has always been. And it's continued this summer. We do everything together. So, it's hard not to be close.”

However, Paige Bueckers is not alone, the entire roster is coming through. As returning players shared rooms with freshmen players, KK Arnold has been huge in making them comfortable.

Jana El Alfy keeps the fun alive by extending her crochet club, and Ashlynn Shade constantly spearheads morning runs, ice cream detours and country concerts.

Paige Bueckers could be the most-watched female basketball player in college sports this year

Paige Bueckers is highly touted as the potential number-one pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft as she heads into the 2024-25 collegiate season healthy. She led the Huskies to the Final Fout last season and is eyeing nothing short of a championship in the coming season.

With constant eyes around her due to the same, Paige Bueckers became the NIL Store’s Top Earning Female Athlete in its first-ever awards show.

The NIL Store partners with players and programs to promote merchandise, enabling student-athletes to directly benefit from the earnings.

Now, given that it will be Paige Bueckers' last collegiate season, the attention on her and the Huskies could reach new heights. Probably nothing like what Caitlin Clark brought to the circuit, but enough to make her the most followed women's basketball face for the next season.

Bueckers’ former teammate Nika Mühl was a nominee in the same category while Kyle Muncy, UConn’s brand partnerships and licensing director, grabbed the Licensing Director of the Year award.