Paige Bueckers compared to Shedeur Sanders for making bizarre decision about her future (2024)
Basketball fans have been left scratching their heads as the University of Connecticut Huskies' (UConn) Paige Bueckers has decided to spend another year in college instead of heading to the WNBA, earning comparisons to Shedeur Sanders, and here's why...
Both of them could have entered the 2024 Drafts for their respective sports of American Football and basketball but they have both chosen to pass up the chance to go pro early as the NCAA simply offers them a better opportunity at the moment.
Many talents have left college to go to the WNBA, such as Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink and so it was a surprise when Bueckers did not join them although the reason is fair. She is concerned about pay and her own development.
Bueckers has good sponsorships in the NCAA through the Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) program with companies such as Dunkin Donuts, Nike, Bose and Gatorade and it earned her $600,000 throughout 2023 alone.
That's 10 times the salary for a second overall pick in the WNBA meaning that if she steps up, when Clark will be selected as the first pick, she is potentially giving up an awful lot of money.
The 22-year-old, who is now relatively old for a college player, had suffered serious through her college career and missed a lot of basketball time and development time so as a result, the extra year might do her good as she only returned for the 2023/24 season.
It also ended in big disappointment as UConn were eliminated by a non-shooting violation meaning it would be a bitter end to her time in the NCAA so she may simply want to sign off on a good note.
Sanders will also stay in the NCAA
The desire to end his career on a good note is also something pursued by Sanders as his father, Coach Prime, promised him a new offense at the Colorado Buffaloes in collegiate American Football.
His 2023/24 season was impressive, but the main concern was the lack of protection he had from his offensive linesman as he was sacked the most times of anyone else in the league showing that despite his talent, he couldn't use it to the max.
That translated from a 3-0 start to a 4-8 finish as the Buffaloes simply lost their form. So, Sanders will stay for an extra year to show everyone what he is actually made of and to end his time in college on a good note.
Sanders also has a high NIL and if he goes to the NFL, when he becomes a small fish in a big pond again, he will lose a lot of that money and will have to start over. Why would he not take an extra year earning millions?
Her GPA from the fall 2023 semester was a staggering 3.9. Her qualifications have also brought her great recognition and satisfaction. Among them, she was named a 2023-2024 College Sports Communicators First Team Academic All-American and was the 2024 Big East WBB Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Bueckers dazzled in her first full season since an August 2022 ACL injury sidelined her for all of 2022-23. She played all 39 games this season, the first fully healthy campaign since her freshman year.
2020 Naismith Prep Player of the Year … 2020 Morgan Wootten Player of the Year … three-time Gatorade Minnesota Player of the Year … 2019-20 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year … played five seasons of varsity basketball at Hopkins … averaged 21.0 points, 9.2 assists, 5.2 steals and 5.1 rebounds per ...
She finished the season averaging 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. On Friday, Bueckers said "family camaraderie, loving it here (at UConn), loving my teammates and loving my coaches" is why she decided to stay another season.
Paige Bueckers is the sole child of Amy Fuller and Bob Bueckers, both of whom are white and American, making the UConn star ethnically white and American. They divorced when she was three years old. Bob Bueckers is a software engineer who trained his daughter in basketball until she was in seventh grade.
Paige Bueckers has not received an official salary in her career yet. She is still a collegiate basketball player in her senior year. She only earns through her basketball skills , her NIL and endorsem*nt deals.
Bueckers signed a multi-year deal with Nike, UConn's official outfitter, last September. It's a deal that saw her team up with one of sports apparel's biggest names. It also meant that Bueckers was joining the likes of Clark and idol Kobe Bryant as athletes to don the famous swoosh.
“Paige is a different star than maybe any that I've ever coached,” Huskies' head coach Geno Auriemma said. All her career, Bueckers has been a humble star. Her selflessness is what makes her such a good leader on and off the court.
In her first season at UConn, Bueckers became the first freshman to earn a major national women's college player of the year award, winning all four for which she was eligible. She led UConn to the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA tournament and set program records for assists by a freshman and single-game assists.
As of now, all indications point to Paige Bueckers being the No.1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. In fact, had it not been for unfortunate injuries throughout her college career, she might have challenged Clark for this year's No. 1 spot.
Despite coming off two lost seasons, Bueckers has come back and performed at a national player of the year level once again. Before Paige Bueckers had played even a single minute in a single game coming off a torn ACL this past fall, Geno Auriemma made a bold statement.
Paige Bueckers isn't going pro quite yet, will play 2024-25 season for UConn. On Friday night, University of Connecticut guard Paige Bueckers announced she's returning to school for the 2024-25 season and forgoing entering the 2024 WNBA draft.
She averaged averaged 21 points, 9.2 assists, 5.2 steals and 5.1 rebounds per game as a senior, leading Hopkins to a 30-0 record and the Class AAAA state championship game, which was canceled due to COVID-19.
"I just feel like I'm not done yet here," Bueckers said of her decision to return. "I feel like God is still writing my story here. I'm just blessed to be a part of this program, and I never want it to end."
Paige Bueckers is staying for a fifth year at UConn, which could affect the Mystics in 2025, or even 2026. The college superstar will stay for a fifth year in Connecticut, which will make her a coveted pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. And the Mystics look like a lottery team this season.
Introduction: My name is Fr. Dewey Fisher, I am a powerful, open, faithful, combative, spotless, faithful, fair person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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