Paige Bueckers is one of the most popular players in women's college basketball today. The UConn star talked about her growing fanbase in Tuesday's press conference ahead of the Huskies' clash with the Tennessee Lady Volunteers on Thursday night.
A reporter brought up the topic of fans to Bueckers after noticing the large crowd that was cheering on the Huskies as they were leaving the XL Center following their win over the Butler Bulldogs. She asked the senior guard what it was like to get a rockstar treatment from her supporters.
"It makes you feel bad cause you can't get to everybody,” Bueckers said. “As much as you want to sign everything, you want to take pictures with everybody, [we’d] probably be there [the] whole night.
"Just wanna stay appreciative of it. Just stay in a state of gratitude to where people spend their money, their time, their effort to come watch us play. We want to perform for them and do well for them. It just makes you extremely grateful to play here," Bueckers said.
The reporter added that she had not seen that many people waiting in the service entrance just to catch a glimpse of the Huskies, telling Bueckers:
"That's big."
Bueckers agreed with her take and offered an explanation behind that type of fan support they are getting.
"Yes. It's the new generation of social media. Everybody knows your location at all times. They know your bus routes. They know you're staying in hotels. I would say that's enhanced a little bit," Bueckers said.
Paige Bueckers' UConn Huskies look to extend winning streak against Tennessee
Paige Bueckers and the No. 5 UConn Huskies head into their showdown with the Tennessee Lady Volunteers in terrific form, having won each of their last 11 games to improve their record to 21-2. Their latest victory came against Butler, with UConn handing out a 101-59 thrashing on Sunday.
Paige Bueckers delivered for coach Geno Auriemma, scoring a game-high 18 points. She started out strongly for the Huskies, scoring 16 points in the first half to help UConn build a 59-26 lead at the break. Bueckers, who also had five assists, three steals, two blocks and one board, shot 7-of-14 from the field against the Bulldogs.
Bueckers has been on fire since returning from a knee injury, averaging 16.5 points and 4.7 assists in her last six games. She will look to continue her outstanding form going against the Lady Vols, who are No. 19 in the latest Associated Press rankings. Tennessee is 16-5 this season.
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