Paige Bueckers joined Flau'jae Johnson on her 'Best of Both Worlds with Flau'jae' podcast, where the two guards discussed on-court performance, life off it, fashion, and much more. The two players hit it off during the WNBA All-Star Weekend in July and have built a solid friendship.
During the interview, Bueckers spoke about her college journey, which has been hindered by back-to-back injuries. Johnson commended her resilience and said:
"I'm a fan. I've been a fan since high school. I just want to say your perseverance bro, like that's admirable. You know, I've never had a major injury, God willing. But just to see you come back and go 110 like that's admirable and athletes know the mental barrier that caused them you come back and it's no drop-off."
"So I just want to say I respect you as a friend. I'm proud of you and I am all ready to see you kill this season."
After a successful freshman season, Bueckers was all set to star for the Huskies in 2021. However, just six games into the season, she sustained a tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear. She was sidelined for two months, but made a return and led the Huskies to the finals where they lost to South Carolina.
Bueckers was prepared to make a healthy return for the 2022-23 season but missed it entirely due to an ACL tear. She finally made her return last year and led the Huskies to a Final Four appearance. She averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals.
Can Paige Bueckers lead the Huskies to the NCAA title?
This summer was Paige Bueckers' first healthy off-season in a few years and she used it to train herself for the upcoming campaign. This will be her last chance to win a national championship with the UConn Huskies and she is preparing to go all out.
“There’s a much larger sense of urgency,” Bueckers said to The Athletic. “This is my last year to get what I came here for, which is a national championship. … No more ‘Passive Paige.’”
While she has all the pieces in place to lead the Huskies to a championship, UConn will face tough competition from defending champions, South Carolina and USC Trojans who have a much stronger roster.
What are your predictions for Paige Bueckers' final season? Let us know in the comments section below.
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