SAN ANTONIO – UConn freshman star Paige Bueckers made a grand entry into the Huskies’ storied NCAA tournament heritage on Sunday, setting a school record for the most points in a tournament debut with 24 in a 102-59 16-seed route High Point.
Named to the Associated Press All-America team last week, the acclaimed guard added nine rebounds and six assists as the top-seeded Huskies kissed without their coach, Geno Auriemma, on the bench due to COVID-19 protocols.
“I was just excited to get out of here,” Bueckers said. “We’ve been practicing for March Madness since August, and we’re just excited for it to happen. We know through this year’s ups and downs, we’re just excited and blessed to be here.”
But for Bueckers, besides playing well, nothing was so normal about her first tournament game. After all, Auriemma watched the game from home in Connecticut, with Chris Dailey, a longtime national team manager, filling in. But Bueckers could still sense Auriemma’s presence.
“I could hear Coach screaming in my ear. I think I took about two pictures in the first quarter, so I know he was yelling at the TV, I know he was yelling at me,” she said. “So I kind of knew I was entering the second quarter, so I tried to be more aggressive.”
Bueckers said she gets nervous before every game, but in an opening game with unusual circumstances – like playing in an empty Alamodome – she showed the kind of balance she’s known for. She only revealed her inexperience after the game, when she came out unabashedly geek while being interviewed by ESPN’s Holly Rowe.
“It’s been a year of firsts, and I just wanted to say that I’m a huge fan of Holly Rowe, and it’s always been a dream of mine to be interviewed by her after a game,” she said with a big smile. . “So I’m just excited to be here.”
Indeed, Bueckers had a slow start, but made a mark after an ankle injury from starting guard Nika Muhl, who scored 10 of her 13 points in the first half in a wave of drives to the basket and pull-up jumpers.
“She likes to feel the game and she likes to get her teammates involved,” said Dailey. “I thought we should go play to take her pictures. That’s what we did, and it helped a lot.
“Her pull-up reminds me a lot of Sue Bird. When Sue Bird did a pull-up, I thought it was automatic, and she never missed,” said Dailey. “And I think the same light is with Paige, it’s just automatic with her pull-up.”
Bueckers said the coaching switch was “different,” but noted the importance of continuity in Dailey’s experience.
“Coach and CD have been doing this for 36 years, so they clearly have a very high IQ for basketball,” said Bueckers. “When the coach gets out, CD comes up. Obviously it’s different when the coach yells at us and CD yells at us, but they are both great basketball spirits and we can count on them both.”
Bueckers has taken on a leadership role within the young Huskies, which is unusual for a team historically filled with perceived depth and star power. But with seven freshmen and no seniors, Bueckers has welcomed the burden of responsibility, something Dailey said often brings out the next gear in her.
“Paige definitely has a different gear. The more physical the game, if she thinks she’s getting dirty, the gear will come faster,” Dailey said. “Paige has a different gear, and when she does, it’s hard to stop her.”
While the Huskies handled High Point with relative ease, they know the games are going to get tougher from here. No. 8 Syracuse awaits them on Tuesday, which happens to be Auriemma’s 67th birthday.
Bueckers is already thinking about the obvious present.
“I hope to win,” she said, “so he can come out here with us.”
Sunday marked the 12th time in her debut season that Bueckers has scored 20 points, and the 24 points tied her for fourth place by a UConn freshman in the NCAA tournament since 2000, according to research from ESPN Stats & Information.