Soon-to-be second-year guard Paige Bueckers continues to rack up major accolades across the basketball landscape.<\/p>\n
In the offseason, much goes around about team futures, the next season ahead, and the stars that make a team relevant. Of course, Bueckers, the Dallas Wings rookie guard, makes up much of that fanfare in The Lone Star State.<\/p>\n
Having said that, Bueckers is now officially part of NCAA lore after it awarded her a top-30 spot for the “Woman of the Year” Award.<\/p>\n
Congratulations to @paigebueckers1<\/a>, named one of the Top 30 honorees for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. \ud83d\udc4f<\/p>\n This recognition celebrates female student-athletes who excel in academics, athletics, and service.#NCAAWBB<\/a> x #NCAAWOTY<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/m5uGeOdoGl<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) October 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE: Dallas Wings shock WNBA with surprising new head coach hire<\/a><\/p>\n “This recognition celebrates female student-athletes who excel in academics, athletics, and service,” a portion of the tweet read.<\/p>\n Although Bueckers has not made her own personal post about it, she has been openly grateful for everything UConn gave her during her collegiate career.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a journey of resilience, of overcoming adversity,\u201d Bueckers told “TODAY” via NBC Connecticut. <\/a>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t trade it for the world just because it became such a beautiful story and a remarkable journey of ups and downs, highs and lows, of keeping the faith, of working extremely hard, and I really wouldn\u2019t trade it.\u201d<\/p>\n Bueckers said the way she was able to bond with her teammates is one of the many reasons the UConn Huskies excelled on and off the court.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw on social media, they were saying UConn won based on the power of friendship,” Bueckers added. “It\u2019s so accurate, just how much we love each other, how much we\u2019re connected, how much we\u2019ve been through as individuals, as a team and how much it\u2019s bonded us and helped us become national champions, I wouldn\u2019t trade it for anything.”<\/p>\n Before being the eventual No. 1 overall pick for the Dallas Wings, Bueckers called it “surreal” to be able to play at the highest level of the sport of women’s basketball.<\/p>\n “Just to be able to play in the WNBA, it\u2019s a dream come true. I was just a little girl aspiring to be in the league. The Minnesota Lynx dynasty was everything for me, so to grow up watching Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, and the rest of that dynasty and to be able to share that experience and be a part of that is surreal to say.\u201d<\/p>\n Bueckers’ team finished 10-34 as the rebuild continued with Thursday’s all-but-inevitable “zeroing in” of South Florida coach Jose Fernandez. Fernandez has enjoyed successful stints at the college level, but the WNBA is a far different territory should Dallas hire him.<\/p>\n Stick with\u00a0WingsGameday\u00a0for more\u00a0FREE coverage of the Dallas Wings<\/a>\u00a0throughout the offseason.<\/p>\n