Paige Bueckers' brother, Drew, sends heartfelt message to UConn superstar ahead of final game in Huskies jersey

Paige Bueckers will be leading the UConn Huskies against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the championship game of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

Ahead of the clash, the UConn star's brother, Drew, sent an emotional message in a video that was shared on Sunday by The Players’ Tribune on X.

The video also included clips of Bueckers' performances, happy moments and team celebrations.

“Hi, Paige, it's Drew. I just want to congratulate you on everything you did," Drew said, "helping our family, making us proud, all the adversity you went through and all the ups and downs.

"You’re such a great role model to me because you help people. You’re funny. You’re kind. And you’re always there for others. I love you so much. Good luck in the championship game. We love you, go Huskies.”

Bueckers led the No. 2 seed UConn Huskies (36-3) to an 85-51 victory against the No. 1 seed UCLA Bruins (34-3) in the Final Four on Friday. She made 16 points and five assists. This season, she has averaged 20.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting 53.9%.

Bueckers has made the Final Four on four occasions but has never won the NCAA Tournament. She is back in a championship game for the first time since 2022.

Final Four national championship game practice. Connecticut - Source: Imagn

UConn coach Geno Auriemma reveals Paige Bueckers' impact on the team

Coach Geno Auriemma spoke highly of Paige Bueckers ahead of the championship game.

“The goal of every kid, I think, that comes to UConn is ‘I want to walk off the court with the last game of my senior year being in a national championship game, and we win that game.’ That’s not realistic, but it’s a great goal to have,” Auriemma said. “And I think all the players, like Paige, who have been in Paige’s shoes, have had their own personal journey to get to this point, and they’ve invested a lot of themselves every day.

“And Paige has invested as much, if not more, of her personal self into our program and into her game and into the community than anyone that we’ve had. So, she deserves something like this. The only problem is that so do some of the South Carolina kids. But, yeah, it’d be bittersweet if Paige wins this national championship at UConn. That’s one less thing I can annoy her about.”

Paige Bueckers and UConn, a No. 2 seed, face the No. 1 seed South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA championship game on Sunday.