STORRS, Conn. — The accolades continue for UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers, who returned to the court this year with a vengeance.
A day after she was named a USBWA First Team All-American, Bueckers was tabbed a 2024 Associated Press All-American for the second time in her collegiate career.
Bueckers finally made it through a season healthy after missing most of the past two years because of injuries. She returned to the form that earned her AP Player of the Year honors as a freshman, averaging 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Huskies.
“She’s one of those unique superstars that wants to be that at both ends of the floor,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “Not everyone values those same things. She gets a lot of enjoyment out of the rebounding that she can do, the blocked shots, the steals, stealing the inbounds pass on the out-of-bounds play. She just has a great sense of the game and what’s happening next. I think that’s probably why she’s never surprised, because I think she always knows what’s happening next.”
Bueckers, who ranks fifth nationally with 725 total points, was selected as the Big East Player of the Year, Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Tournament Most Outstanding Player. She is also on the Wooden Award National Ballot, a Naismith Trophy Women’s Player of the Year semifinalist and an Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year finalist.
On the AP All-America First Team, Bueckers is joined by Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Stanford’s Cameron Brink and freshmen Juju Watkins of USC and Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame.
Clark, who is the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader, became the 11th player to earn the distinction three times. Meanwhile, Watkins and Hidalgo are only the fourth and fifth freshmen to make the AP team since it began in 1994-95, joining Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris and UConn’s Maya Moore and Bueckers.
Clark joins a select group with her third first-team honor: South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston, Baylor’s Brittney Griner, Tennessee’s Chamique Holdsclaw, Duke’s Alana Beard, Paris, Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu, Kentucky's Rhyne Howard and UConn’s Breanna Stewart and Moore. Paris and Moore did it four times.
Bueckers, a redshirt junior, was not the only Huskies player honored by the Associated Press. Seniors Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Mühl each earned Honorable Mention nods. Players earned honorable-mention status if they appeared on one of the ballots.
On Tuesday, Edwards was selected to the USBWA All-American Second Team.
The AP second team was headlined by Kitley, who was the ACC player of the year for a third straight season. She was joined by Reese, South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso, Texas’ Madison Booker and Ohio State’s Jacy Sheldon.
The AP third team was Utah’s Alissa Pili, Holmes, Syracuse’s Daisha Fair, Virginia Tech’s Georgia Amoore and Oregon State’s Reagan Beers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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