Debate: Will Bueckers Be the National POY?
The Story: Paige Bueckers is back from a torn ACL and is reportedly “stronger” and “better” than she ever has been, but will the redshirt junior regain the form that’s befitting of a national phenomenon and end the season not just as a champion, but the best player in the country?
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Bueckers was named an AP Preseason All-American and tabbed as the Big East Preseason Player of the Year last week, showing that there’s still plenty of belief in what she’ll be able to accomplish in what may be her last season at UConn.
• The biggest intrigue revolves around how Bueckers looks once she returns to the court, beginning with the exhibition game against Southern Connecticut State on Saturday and then the regular-season opener against Dayton on Nov. 8. Will she be the player we all remember, or will there be a bit of rust as she appears in her first game in 572 days?
LET THE DEBATE BEGIN: LSU’s Angel Reese and Iowa’s sizzling sharpshooter Caitlin Clark join Bueckers as the top contenders to take home the AP, Wooden, Naismith and USBWA awards as the top player in women’s basketball.
• So, here’s the debate: Will Bueckers stand alone as the national player of the year this season? The Daily’s David Kull and Zac Boyer state their cases before the one and only John Silver renders a verdict.
YES: Don’t bet against Bueckers
It’s safe to assume Clark will finish the season with better overall stats than Bueckers.
But the POY award isn’t about sheer numbers. It’s more about quality over quantity. And this is where Bueckers will have a distinct advantage over Clark and any other challengers.
Remember when Bueckers first arrived in Storrs? Freshmen are supposed to wait their turn to lead. Not Bueckers. The moment this skinny, young woman from Minnesota stepped on the court, she was the alpha — and everyone knew it. Confident, fearless, unflappable. Bueckers balled out like no freshman ever has.
This same young woman just missed an entire season. She worked hard to rehab her surgically repaired knee. She watched her team lose in the Sweet 16. She saw LSU win the title and Clark win POY honors.
Uh … do you think Bueckers is just a little motivated?
Azzi Fudd might score more points. Nika Muhl might have more assists. Aailyah Edwards might have more rebounds. But no one will equal Bueckers’ impact on an entire team. Not Clark. Not anyone. You won’t need to ask Geno Auriemma at the end of the season — because he will tell you.
The new version of Bueckers is older, stronger, and wiser, but with the same indomitable spirit. So, go ahead and bet against her. But then sit back and watch her prove you wrong.
— David Kull (david@uconndaily.com)
NO: Clark’s still the one to watch
There’s something magical about watching Clark shoot a basketball. Maybe it’s the fact that once it leaves her hands, you know it has a nearly 50-50 chance of going in, even if she chucks it up from 30-plus feet. Maybe it’s because she has the ruthless aggression to take that shot — or is it reckless abandon?
Regardless, there’s a reason why Clark, like Bueckers, has become a household name across America: She’s a pretty dang good player. Just look at what she accomplished last season, when she was the unanimous player of the year: 27.8 points and 8.6 assists per game; a 47.3 shooting percentage, including 38.9 percent from 3-point range; 13 games with more than 30 points, and only three in which she didn’t hit 20. She’s the first player to have back-to-back 40-point games in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
Bueckers is an incredible player. There’s no doubt about that. She may very well sleepwalk her way into a parade down Trinity Street, Jewell Street and Gold Street come April, and we certainly hope that happens. But Clark has been a one-woman show since she first arrived at Iowa — and when you have to do it all, and you do it well, the spotlight shines just a little bit brighter.
— Zac Boyer (zac@uconndaily.com)
THE VERDICT: Mistrial declared
We can’t decide right now. There is no wrong answer to this question; there is no right answer. This is the Kobayashi Maru of basketball arguments.
Bueckers is one of the best women’s basketball players we have ever seen when she’s healthy. How do you bet against that? Clark is a generational scorer and magnetic personality who draws football-sized crowds to exhibition games in the Iowa cornfields — and is more exciting the anything Iowa’s football team has done in the past three years. How do you bet against that?
So, I’m declaring a mistrial and setting a date for a new trial — April 5-7 in Cleveland at the Women’s Final Four.
— John Silver (john@uconndaily.com)
Morning Reads
• The Hornets declined their fourth-year option on James Bouknight‘s contract, meaning the former UConn standout, a first-round pick in 2021 who is out of commission after left knee surgery, will become a free agent after the season.
• Dal’Mont Gourdine grew up in South Carolina, so he’s plenty familiar with the SEC. And as the football team heads into Saturday’s game at No. 19 Tennessee, he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder: “We all wanted to play there but we didn’t get there, so this is our chance to show we could have.”
• The women’s soccer team, which faces No. 2 seed Georgetown in the Big East semifinals tomorrow night, had six players selected to all-Big East teams yesterday: first-teamers Jessica Mazo and Chioma Okafor, second-teamers Kaitlyn Mahoney, Lucy Cappadona and Cara Jordan, and third-team selection Abbey Jones. Mahoney was named the Big East Goalkeeper of the Year.
Top photo: Paige Bueckers drives in for a layup during UConn’s game against Seton Hall. (David Butler II/USA Today via UConn athletics)
