Paige Bueckers’ UConn resume is missing an NCAA title. She says others can ponder her legacy

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Paige Bueckers insists she's not concerned about her legacy.

The UConn standout will close out her college career when the Huskies face South Carolina in Sunday's national title game. She said Saturday that she would like to be remembered as "a great teammate, a great leader" who makes players around her better.

She'll leave it to others to decide if adding an NCAA championship to an already impressive resume will validate her accomplishments.

"I don't think that's up to me. I think that's up to the people who, I guess, get to decide if people's legacies are cemented or whatever,” Bueckers said. "But I'm not worried about that at all.

"The thing I take great joy and great pride in is the relationships, the experiences, the journeys we've gone on throughout the team," she added. "Just the bonds I've been able to create with my teammates, the memories, the close-knit stuff that, I mean, you can't really experience without support, just how it's brought us all together and how much we've grown as individuals, grown as a team. All the stuff we've been through and how much it's made us stronger."

UConn players talk about their desire to deliver a 12th national title for Geno Auriemma, who has led the Huskies to a record 24 Final Fours. The coach, however, would like Bueckers and the rest of his players to experience the joy of winning it all.

Win or lose, however, Auriemma knows Bueckers has already made a lasting impact on his storied program.

"If you're in this for the first time, you really don't have the appreciation for what it really is. If you're fortunate like I've been, you know what that feels like when someone who has given their whole heart and soul to your program walks off the court in the last game of their career with a national championship. ... You see the effect that it has on their life," Auriemma said.

"Paige doesn't need anything to change her life to make her life better. She's got a life that most people would dream about. But for someone who's invested so much into the University of Connecticut, the community, the team, her teammates, and loves the game so much, she deserves to go out as a national champion," Auriemma added. "But so do a bunch of kids at South Carolina that have done the exact same thing."

Count South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, whose team is seeking an impressive third title in four years, among those who don't believe Bueckers needs to win Sunday to validate her career.

"She's a great player, but just because you're a great player doesn't mean you need to win the national championship to legitimize it. Paige is legit. She was legit from the moment she stepped on this stage or prior to, in Minnesota," Staley said.

"Her career is legendary," Staley added. "She will leave a legacy at UConn whether she wins one or not."

Bueckers scored 16 points on 7 for 17 shooting in UConn's 85-51 victory over No. 1 overall seed UCLA in Friday's national semifinals. While the Huskies went on the road to beat South Carolina by 29 points in mid-February, there are lingering memories of a loss to the Gamecocks in the 2022 NCAA title game.

The tournament loss three years ago concluded an injury-marred season for Bueckers, who's expected to be the first overall pick in the upcoming WNBA draft. A UConn win Sunday would deny South Carolina's bid to become the first repeat champion since the Huskies won four straight from 2013 to 2016.

"Really, the journey is the reward for me. And I never take it for granted being able to play here and put on this uniform," Bueckers said on the eve of her last game for the Huskies.

"Whatever talks of legacy and whatever, I guess that's not up to me," she reiterated. "All I can worry about and control is who I am every single day and who we are as a team. That's all I'm worried about."