UConn’s Paige Bueckers brings ‘Minnesota nice’ to homecoming game - Just Women's Sports (2024)

Katie Manganelli

Nov 19, 2023

UConn’s Paige Bueckers grew up watching basketball in her home state of Minnesota. She has memories of Lynx and Golden Gophers games at Williams Arena — she attended those games starting when she was 10 or 12 years old.

Now, Bueckers will return to The Barn, but not as a spectator.

“It’s super surreal because I grew up going to games at The Barn and watching the Gophers and watching the Lynx play there,” Bueckers said to the Hartford Courant. “So to be playing there, where I grew up, my childhood, at my dream school wearing a UConn jersey in that arena, it’s like a surreal feeling for me.”

The Huskies are set to take on the Gophers in Minnesota at 5 p.m. ET Sunday in a homecoming game for Bueckers. Bueckers will be taking the same court her childhood idols took over a decade ago.

“I envisioned it when I was younger,” Bueckers said. “Just wanting to be the people who were playing on the court. As a young kid, that was where I wanted to be. You never knew what the future was going to hold, but it was something I aspired to do.”

UConn’s head coach Geno Auriemma goes out of his way to schedule homecoming games for his seniors, including two international matchups this season — one for Nika Mühl in Croatia during the Huskies’ preseason tour and one for Aaliyah Edwards in Toronto, which will be played in December.

Williams Arena is likely to be packed when the local star makes her return — more than 10,000 seats are expected to be filled when Bueckers takes the court at the 14,625-seat arena.

Among those 10,000 people will be Bueckers’ family, friends and other Minnesotans in the basketball community. And Bueckers credits these people with her upbringing.

“You often hear the phrase ‘Minnesota nice,’” Bueckers told CT Insider. “I think everything around here, just everybody knows everybody. Everybody’s nice to each other. Everybody’s like family once you meet them. So, I think that just is sort of why I love relationships, why I love people so much and why I love getting to know people so much and I think that has a lot to do with where I’m from.”

But for Bueckers, a homecoming game isn’t just about seeing family and friends. It’s about being who Rebekkah Brunson and Lindsey Whalen were to her for other young girls.

“I want to be an inspiration to kids,” Bueckers said. “I want people to see that injuries happen, adversity happens, but what do you do to come back from it? How hard do you attack that process? I want people to see passion when they see me play, fire and energy and that I love the game.”

Emma Hruby

Apr 5, 2024

Ali Krieger is taking a brief interlude from retirement to play this summer in The Soccer Tournament.

The defender will be teaming up with former USWNT teammate Heather O’Reilly on the U.S. Women’s team to compete in the first women’s iteration of the 7-on-7 competition.

The winning team will take home $1 million in prize money.

Ali Krieger is NOT DONE YET‼️

Two time World Cup Winner, @alikrieger has announced that she will be playing with US Women at TST this June!

Ali will reunite with Heather O'Reilly as they'll look to win TST's first ever Women's Tournament🇺🇸

TST TICKETS: https://t.co/N7DEXHhSo4 pic.twitter.com/W7FBLBq4W9

— TST (@TST7v7) April 5, 2024

“I’m so excited. Heather O’Reilly is putting a team together. Mostly former national team players,” Krieger told ESPN’s Futbol Americas. “It’s a great mix. I don’t know if I’m going to be the only defender. I’ve only seen a lot of the attacking players.”

She also joked that she’s in it to win it all. But she’s also excited just to “enjoy myself for a few days.”

“I told [O’Reilly] that I’m only signing up if we win,” Krieger said. “So I told her no pressure. But I’m bringing my boots … I actually am starting training soon so I don’t injure myself. I’m very excited to play in front of the fans, the supporters, and some family members again.”

Krieger retired from the USWNT in 2021 before ending her professional career in the NWSL in 2023 with Gotham FC, going out on top with the team’s first NWSL championship.

Other members of the team have yet to be announced, although O’Reilly has said that she’s trying to recruit former teammates like Julie Ertz and Carli Lloyd to the team.

The tournament will take place in Cary, N.C. from June 5-10.

Emma Hruby

Apr 5, 2024

USWNT interim head coach Twila Kilgore opened her media availability on Friday addressing Korbin Albert’s social media activity, calling it “disappointing.”

Both captain Lindsey Horan and long-time veteran Alex Morgan addressed it earlier this week, saying that the team had conversations internally after Albert's activity came to light.

“We’ve worked extremely hard to uphold the integrity of this national team through all of the generations, and we are extremely, extremely sad that this standard was not upheld,” Horan said. “Our fans and our supporters feel like this is a team that they can rally behind, and it’s so important that they feel and continue to feel undeniably heard and seen.”

On Friday, Kilgore confirmed that such conversations had taken place, noting that “this team has never shied away from hard conversations.” It’s a sentiment that is similar to what was shared by Morgan.

Kilgore noted that Albert’s social media activity does fall short of the expectations within the team, although it’s unclear if U.S. Soccer can discipline social media activity.

“It is disappointing when somebody falls short of the very high standards that we set within this team,” Kilgore said. “This team has always been a beacon of respect, inclusion and demonstrated great allyship through actions for underrepresented and marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ+ community, and we will continue to do so.”

Albert has apologized for her social media activity, which included reposting anti-LGBTQ+ posts and appearing to like a post making light of Megan Rapinoe’s injury in her final professional game.

Kilgore said that the team is “continuing to work on getting better” and putting themselves in the best position to succeed in the SheBelieves Cup.

Albert, who was called in for the tournament, is available to play, per Kilgore.

Emma Hruby

Apr 5, 2024

Speaking ahead of UConn and Iowa’s Final Four matchup, Clark noted that both she and Bueckers’ have games that are similar but at the same time “very different.”

"Her game is just so smooth, she's fun to watch," Clark said of Bueckers. "She moves effortlessly out there like it's just so natural. Then she additionally works really hard at it. Paige has always been one of the most dominant players, that has never changed. She's always been able to go up against the best."

Clark also said she's in awe of Buecker's resilience. While Clark’s NCAA career has gone relatively smoothly from an injury standpoint, Bueckers has spent much of the last four years injured – including missing last year with an ACL tear.

“The coolest thing about Paige is how resilient she is,” Clark said. “Obviously she’s kind of been dealt a tough hand. … The way she carries herself on and off the court, the way she works hard. None of that has changed since I’ve known her since she was in middle school, she’s always worked that same way. She’s always had that fire, she’s always been a great leader.

“I really couldn’t be happier for her and the year that she’s had and the way she’s led [UConn] back to the Final Four.”

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Bueckers was equally complimentary of Clark, who she calls “a winner.”

"She's just a competitor," Bueckers said of Clark. "She wants to win. She has just intangibles of the game. She knows how to play, a great IQ. I think the biggest thing about her is she competes, and she's just a winner. She wants to win at all costs."

Emma Hruby

Apr 5, 2024

Hailey Van Lith is back in the transfer portal after just one year with LSU, according to multiple reports.

While Van Lith was eligible for the WNBA draft this year, her name did not appear on the preliminary draft list published Thursday.

Van Lith will be a graduate transfer, and has just one year of eligibility left for the 2024-25 season. She spent a single season with the Tigers, which ended in the Elite Eight with a loss to Iowa.

One of the top players in the portal last season, Van Lith changed positions at LSU as part of a headline-grabbing transfer class that included DePaul standout Aneesah Morrow. Van Lith left Louisville, where she had been the focal point of the offense, was an honorable mention All-American, and helped the Cardinals to the Final Four in 2022.

Previously a shooting guard, Van Lith played the point for the Tigers throughout the season. While a welcome change, it also came with some awkwardness. Van Lith averaged 11.6 points and 3.6 assists per game, both lower than her previous career highs, which included 19.7 points per game as a junior at Louisville.

Van Lith’s final defensive assignment at LSU against Caitlin Clark saw the 22-year-old struggle on the big stage, with limited coaching adjustments in the game.

Ahead of LSU’s Sweet 16 matchup with UCLA, Van Lith defended her decision to go to LSU.

"A lot of people have a lot to say about how this year went for me," Van Lith told reporters before LSU's Sweet 16 matchup against UCLA, "but one thing that they can't argue with is that at this point, I know how to fend for Hailey and I know how to fight for Hailey and that's going to help me the next level."