Women's Fastbreak On SI

Paige Bueckers Explains Why She Shares UConn Ball Handling Responsibilities

UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers spoke about her team sharing the rock more often than they have in the past.
Grant Young|
Dec 15, 2024; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) passes the ball against the Georgetown Hoyas in the first half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Dec 15, 2024; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) passes the ball against the Georgetown Hoyas in the first half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

One of the most common discussion points among UConn Huskies women's basketball fans this season has been how Paige Bueckers is used on offense.

During UConn's injury-plagued 2023-24 season, Bueckers was tasked with having the ball in her hands for the majority of the Huskies' possessions. While this was usually effective because Bueckers is an elite talent, the unrelenting usage also seemed to fatigue her as the season progressed and UConn faced better defenses.

This season is different. Not only are the Huskies (relatively) healthy with Azzi Fudd back but Princeton grad transfer Kaitlyn Chen is a traditional, pass-first point guard who allows Bueckers to play off the ball much more when the two are on the court together.

Having the ball in her hands less negatively affects Bueckers' offensive output, in terms of volume and points per game. But this doesn't seem to bother the superstar, as she alluded to when speaking when the media after UConn's 71-45 win over St. John's on January 15.

"Yeah, I think we have a lot of people who can handle the ball and make plays on our team," Bueckers said when asked how she feels about not always being the primary ball handler, per The UConn Daily YouTube account.

"I think we share that responsibility really well, knowing that no one person is going to dominate the ball, and we all want to share it, we all want to touch it, we all want to move sides of the court and continue to get ball movement that way," Bueckers continued.

"So it's definitely easier for the team when you have plenty of people who can handle the rock like that."

Bueckers is clearly more concerned about her team's offensive success than her individual scoring statistics.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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