Former Hopkins Star Leads UConn To Final Four In Minneapolis

HOPKINS, MN — Former Hopkins High School star Paige Bueckers is set to return to the Twin Cities this week less than two years after graduating to play for a national championship with the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team.

UConn will make its 14th straight appearance in the Final Four, which is being hosted this weekend at Target Center in Minneapolis.

Bueckers played a major role in the Huskies’ return to the Final Four with a clutch performance in two overtime periods during the Elite Eight round. Bueckers scored 27 points Monday against North Carolina State, with 15 coming after the end of regulation.

“Two days ago, I said ‘Win or go home,’” Bueckers told ESPN after the game. “But we won, and I'm still going home, so this is crazy.”

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“I’m just so excited, no matter the location, no matter where it is. I get to keep playing with my team, so I’m super excited,” Bueckers said before a teammate showered her with confetti.

ESPN ranked Bueckers as the No. 1 college basketball recruit in 2020 during her senior year at Hopkins High School. Bleacher Report called Monday’s double-overtime win the “most important victory” of Bueckers’ career.

Bueckers underwent major knee surgery in December to repair an anterior tibial plateau fracture and a tear in her lateral meniscus, the Star Tribune reported.

She missed 19 games while recovering, but she appears to have returned to top form just in time as she tries to lead UConn to glory minutes from her hometown.

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UConn is scheduled to take on Stanford at 8:30 p.m. Friday in the Final Four. The winner of UConn-Stanford will play the victor of South Carolina-Louisville on Sunday for college basketball’s top prize.