On UConn’s senior night in February 2024, inside a packed Gampel Pavilion, Paige Bueckers took the mic. “I know everybody wants me to address the elephant in the room,” she told the crowd. “Unfortunately, this will not be my last senior night here at UConn.” With that, she confirmed her decision to return for a fifth and final year with the Huskies.
Bueckers’ extended eligibility comes from NCAA rules that grant student-athletes five years to compete in four seasons, with an additional year for those who played in 2020-21 due to the Covid-19 waiver. And a 2022 injury that led to a redshirt year gave Bueckers yet another season. While many speculate she stayed for lucrative NIL deals – estimated at around $1.5m this season – Bueckers insists her decision is rooted in loyalty to UConn, her teammates, and her coaches. “Family camaraderie, loving it here, loving my teammates, and loving my coaches,” she says.
