The queen of women’s college basketball, Paige Bueckers, isn’t waiting for tip-off to start making waves—she’s already on the 2025 Nancy Lieberman Award watch list, poised to snag her second title as the best point guard in Division I. UConn’s basketball sensation, who grabbed the award as a freshman in 2021, is making it clear she’s aiming to add yet another trophy to her collection.
But make no mistake: this season won’t be just any regular season for Bueckers. After some unfiltered feedback from UConn coach Geno Auriemma, Paige is stepping up her game—and apparently, stepping on the gas pedal when it comes to her on-court aggression. Auriemma’s challenge? Get more “selfish” with the ball. Translation: Bueckers is ready to unleash and give opponents a whole new level of worry.
Paige Bueckers’ Road to Greatness (Again)
This latest award nod comes courtesy of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, putting Bueckers alongside an elite crowd of point guards across the country. But let’s be real—the UConn senior guard’s already doing laps around her competition. With a few tweaks here and there, she’s set on showing everyone what she’s made of. Should she clinch the award again, she’ll join the ranks of UConn legends like Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Moriah Jefferson as a repeat winner.
As if the idea of winning weren’t motivation enough, Bueckers’ 2024-25 season is marked by a personal transformation in playing style. Over the summer, she came to grips with her last season’s heartbreak in the Final Four. It was a gut check that lit a fire in her, pushing her to recalibrate her approach entirely.
“A huge thing this summer was a complete shift in mindset,” Bueckers said after UConn’s first practice. “Last year’s Final Four wasn’t what I wanted. It really stung me in a different type of way where I had a reality check.”
The “Selfish” Paige Bueckers Emerges
Apparently, it’s a new season, new Paige. In scrimmages, Bueckers has been hogging the ball more than usual, taking her coach’s advice to heart. Auriemma, who’s been a master of lighting a fire under his players, has given Bueckers full permission to go for it—and she’s not holding back. No more passing up open shots; this season, it’s all about putting the ball in the hoop, over and over again.
And it’s no surprise that she’s bringing back her magic. Bueckers is fresh off a career-best season with stats that would make even seasoned pros blush: 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.4 blocks while shooting over 50%, and hitting 41.6% from deep.
Will Paige Bueckers Join the Hall of Repeaters?
If she manages to bag the Nancy Lieberman Award again, Bueckers will become one of the few UConn legends to wear that badge twice. Watch out, because come April, we might be seeing her name etched right beside the likes of Bird, Taurasi, and Jefferson. It’s not just an award—it’s a legacy.
As the season unfolds, expect more than a few explosive highlights from Bueckers. If her offseason transformation is anything to go by, college basketball’s getting one thing this season: a Paige Bueckers unleashed, unstoppable, and determined to make her final year count.
