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Two-time WNBA champ Breanna Stewart had a piece of advice for returning UConn star Paige Bueckers, who skipped the draft this year to opt into her final year of eligibility for another March Madness run with the Huskies.
The New York Liberty center, who won four national championships at UConn, recently went on an interview with women's sports brand TOGETHXR, saying this about Bueckers' final year in college:
"With Paige, what I wanna see is her to continue to build herself as a leader. She's been at UConn for four years now, she'll have another one to go, and this is her team. They go as far as she takes them, and really kind of feeling that not as a pressure but also understanding that it's her moment, and she needs to take advantage of it."
Stewart's comments come in the wake of UConn losing key cogs in the WNBA draft this year: Aaliyah Edwards and defensive stalwart Nika Muhl, who were instrumental in the team's success last year.
With Edwards and Muhl preparing to strut their wares in the pros, Paige Bueckers is expected to step in and be the best player for Geno Auriemma night in and night out. This is because she still has two years of eligibility due to the NCAA's COVID-19 ruling.
The Huskies should be on a redemption arc in 2025, after falling in the Final Four to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. For them, it should be championship or bust for the upcoming season to give Bueckers the sendoff she deserves.
It's redemption time for UConn women's basketball
The 2024-2025 season for Geno Auriemma and UConn women's basketball should be one of redemption. They entered the 2024 March Madness having had a 33-6 regular season and never losing in 18 Big East games.
But while they looked dominant in every round and had Iowa on the ropes late in the Final Four, the basketball gods had a different plan in mind. One could call it the breaks of the game, but Paige Bueckers and UConn have no excuse not to go on just another deep run. For now, all that remains is for the season to come.
