April 5 (UPI) -- Connecticut Huskies star Paige Bueckers won the John R. Wooden Award on Monday, becoming the first freshman to earn the honor, which is given annually to the best women's college basketball player in the nation.
Bueckers is only the second underclassman to capture the Wooden Award, which was first presented in women's college basketball in the 2003-04 season.
She joined former UConn star Maya Moore, who won her first Wooden Award in 2009 as a sophomore. Moore captured the honor again in 2011.
"It's a blessing," Bueckers said. "It means everything to me to win these individual awards, but it's a true testament to our whole team and everything that they've done for me. The coaching staff, for them to put me in this position, I'm just extremely thankful."
The 19-year-old Bueckers had one of the greatest freshman seasons in UConn history. She led the Huskies in points (20), assists (5.8) and steals (2.3) per game during the 2020-21 campaign. She also averaged 4.9 rebounds and shot 52.4% from the field.
On Saturday, Bueckers became the first freshman to win the Naismith Trophy since it debuted in 1983. She also was named to the 10-member Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-America team.
Bueckers guided the Huskies to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA women's tournament this year. UConn advanced to its 13th straight Final Four, but the Huskies were upset Friday by the Arizona Wildcats.
