The Guru’s WNBA Report: UConn Star Paige Bueckers Becomes Latest Huskies Great to Go No. 1; Ex-Villanova Star Olsen of Iowa Goes in Second Round

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

NEW YORK — As expected, another No. 1 pick came off the UConn assembly line in the WNBA draft Monday night here at The Shed in Hudson Yards with the Dallas Wings’ selection of Paige Bueckers, who just eight days ago led the Huskies to their 12th NCAA title.

The whole team accompanied Bueckers along with Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma.

“Yeah, they mean everything to me,” she said referring to her now former teammates. “All they’ve helped me get through, they’ve seen every side of me, and the love there is unconditional, so forever grateful to them.

“I want to cherish that relationship for the rest of my life, and I wouldn’t be here without them. I just want to show a state of gratitude for them.”

In the second round, former Villanova star Lucy Olsen, who transferred to Iowa last season, landed close to home, picked 11th and 23rd overall by the Washington Mystics, who had three picks in the first round.

Former Princeton star Kaitlyn Chen, who spent her fifth season with Connecticut, went fifth in the third round to the expansion Golden State Valkyries and at 30th overall she goes to her home state.

“I’m still in a state of shock, here, it’s pretty overwhelming, I was just here to support Paige,” said Chen, who was not an invitee. “I had no expectations.”

She said with her parents having taken Red Eye flights coast-to-coast to see her play at Princeton and UConn, “it’s only an hour away.”

On the Wings under new coach Chris Coclanes, who once was on the staff of Cindy Griffin at Saint Joseph’s, Bueckers will be joining former Villanova sensation Maddy Siegriest, who two season ago went to Dallas as the third overall pick.

“Just super excited,” Siegrist texted on the joining of her former Big East opponent.

Previous No. 1 picks out of UConn were Sue Bird and Mia Moore, who are part of the 2025 class of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame getting inducted this September; Diana Taurasi, perhaps the all-time great in WNBA history who recently joined Bird and Moore in retirement; Tina Charles, and Breanna Stewart, who led the Seattle Storm to two WNBA titles and last fall did likewise for the charter New York Liberty.

Bueckers recently signed a lucrative three-year-deal with the offseason 3-x-3 Unrivaled started by former UConn stars Stewart and Napheesa Collier, who faced each other in last season’s best-of-five finals won by New York over Minnesota.

Since winning the championship denying South Carolina a back-to-back run of titles it has been a week-long whirlwind for Bueckers, a native of suburban Minneapolis, ferrying from the Storrs campus to here appearing on morning and night talk shows, going to the rookie orientation, and back to Connecticut, where the Huskies paraded last weekend in the capital city of Hartford.

“I’m glad New York and Storrs are pretty close to each other because there’s been a lot of back and forth,” said Bueckers. “Part of me wants to stay at school, celebrate with the team, be with them, enjoy the last moments of being in Storrs, and the other part of me has to get ready for the next chapter”

While long forecast as a number one pick following 12 months later the choice of Iowa’s game changer Caitlin Clark by the Indiana Fever last season, the moment of a dream-come-true was still stunning to Bueckers, who was the first freshman named national player of the year when she was a collegiate rookie the same time as Clark.

However, she extended her collegiate career after missing a large chunk of her sophomore season and entire junior season with leg injuries.

“You don’t every want to assume anything in life,” Bueckers said. “Nothing is guaranteed, so for this moment to be here and it actually happened, it’s nerve-racking. You just have a level of excitement, nervousness, bittersweet feeling knowing that my journey at UConn is over, but excited for the next one to begin.”

Former Connecticut Sun coach and general manager Curt Miller, who since coached Los Angeles, is now the general manager in Dallas.

“It’s not a build, it’s just a build from where we are,” Bueckers said of her new team. “Excited for the new arena, the new practice, facility, and conversations with the CEO, the GM. We’re excited for the future, for that fresh start.”

The earlier mock draft exercises from analysts was shaken up with the decisions to remain another year in college by Ta’Niya Latson, the nation’s leading scorer at Florida State who recently transferred to South Carolina; Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles, who switched to TCU; and Cotie McMahon, who transferred from Ohio State to Ole Miss.

In the 12-player first round that saw four foreigners taken, Washington had three picks, the third, fourth and sixth, and took Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron, Southern Cal’s Kiki Iriafen, whose career began at Stanford, and Australian Georgia Amoore, whose career began at Virginia Tech and then continued at Kentucky this season, following coach Kenny Brooks to the Wildcats.

The Connecticut Sun had two picks and chose LSU’s Aneesah Morrow, whose career began in her native Chicago at DePaul, at seventh and NC State’s Saniya Rivers, originally with South Carolina and Dawn Staley, at eighth.

The first foreigner picked was one that came with a high upside in France’s 19-year-old Dominque Malonga taken by Seattle at second, while Golden State, who took several other players off other rosters in the expansion draft last winter, chose Lithuania’s Juste Jocyte at fifth.  Slovenia’s Ajsa Sivka went 10th to the Chicago Sky, who also picked at 11th TCU’s Hailey Van Lith.

Malonga was on the silver olympic medalists at the Paris Games and Monday she equaled the previous WNBA highest draftee from France in Isabelle Fijalkowski taken in the inaugural WNBA season of 1997.

The Los Angeles Sparks at ninth picked Alabama’s Sarah Ashlee Barker.

Dallas had a second pick at 12th, choosing NC State’s Aziaha James.

First round trade picks dealt by Indiana, New York, the Minnesota Lynx, Phoenix Mercury, and Atlanta Dream deprived participation Monday while the Las Vegas Aces lost theirs as a penalty following a league finding in 2023 of WNBA rules violations pertaining to impermissible player benefits and workplace policies.

In the second round, the Las Vegas Aces led off taking Alabama’s Aaliyah Nye, followed by Madison Scott from Ole Miss going to Dallas.

A fifth foreigner, Russia’s Anastasiia Kosu, went to the Vakyries, who stocked up in overseas stars, followed by Notre Dame’s Westbeld going to Chicago. Maryland’s Shyanne Sellers went to Golden State, while South Carolina’s Te-Hina Paopao, originally at Oregon, went to Atlanta.

Indiana had the next two second round picks, taking Florida State’s Makayla Timpson and South Carolina’s Bree Hall, while another Gamecock at ninth in the second round in Sania Feagin went to Los Angeles. Chicago took Texas A&M’s Aicha Coulibaly, then Olsen, with Minnesota grabbing Washington’s Dalayah Daniels, and Connecticut taking Southern Cal’s Rayah Marshall to complete the round.

Round three saw the first pick and overall 26th Serena Sundell of Kansas State followed by Dallas adding West Virginia’s JJ Quinerly.

Notre Dame’s Liatu King, who played with the Fighting Irish last season as a transfer from Pitt, went to Connecticut. TCU’s Madison Conner was fourth in the third round and 29th overall to Seattle ahead of UConn’s Chen to Golden State.

Dallas took Baylor’s Aaronette Vonleh, Alabama’s Zaay Green went to the Mystics, and then Gonzga’s Yvonne Ejim, the multi-player of the year in the West Coast Conference, went to Indiana.

Seattle took Michigan’s Jordan Hobbs, followed by a second pick with Ivy League DNA, this time direct in player of the year Harmoni Turner out of Harvard going to Las Vegas. Atlanta at 11th and 36th overall in round three took Ohio State’s Taylor Thierry, and then another UConn player showing up to support Bueckers got surprised with Aubrey Griffin picked at 37th overall going to Minnesota, which has had its share of graduating Huskies.

The champion New York Liberty had the honor of taking the Miss Irrelevant of the WNBA draft with the final overall 38th pick selecting France’s Adja Kane.

Even with a new team this season into the league and Toronto and Portland coming online next season, with one more expected by 2028, the reality is the bulk of of the overall draft will have trouble making rosters.

Some are advocating considering the large six-figure bids being made as well as promises of training facilities as exist in Las Vegas and Phoenix, to name two, that the league should go beyond the current targeted cycle of four.

Prior to the the draft proceedings, commissioner Cathy Engelbert, a native of South Jersey and obviously upbeat off the success of last season in viewership, attendance, and ongoing flow off added corporate partners, coach, the fashion accessory handbag brand joined this past week, gave opening remarks and took questions.

One highlight was in the area of mental health and the creation of a task force to help deter online hate and vitriol directed toward players and teams.

“We want to ensure that the WNBA remains a space where everyone — players, fans and corporate partners — feel safe, valued and empowered,” she said.

In the area of expansion, she did not name a frontrunner, a recent report says Cleveland was a frontrunner to return to the fold having previously had the Rockers in the WNBA owned by the NBA Cavaliers.

Philadelphia has been mentioned but it is believed the bid by the NBA 76ers and Comcast wouldn’t succeed until the new arena is built.

 

 

    

Connecticut Sun - Name That Tune: Is it “I’ll Follow the Sun” or Fantasy (the Twelfth of Never)?

By Andy Lipton

Leading the ‘Break®

 

The Connecticut Sun basketball team will hardly be recognized this coming WNBA with its starting five dispersed through free agency and trades.  Although never the bride, it’s been a consistent title-contending team for a good number of years.

 

Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?  I mean DiJonai Carrington, Ty Harris, Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, and Brionna Jones.  And if you don’t know where Coach Stephanie White has gone, ask Caitlin Clark.

 

With a new head coach, a relatively new general manager and many new players, it’s very fair to say that the Sun won’t be shining bright again very soon.

 

But suppose, just suppose, UCONN basketball player alums President Jennifer Rizzotti and GM Morgan Tuck gather together the tight UCONN family that’s dispersed in the WNBA to come to the rescue of the Sun for a UCONN reunion dressed in Sun uniforms.

 

Let’s start with the conquering hero, Breanna Stewart, the UCONN alum who has now won three WNBA championships in far-away lands (ok New York is not far away). Imagine her returning to the Constitution State and a fan-base that saw her start to become one of the greatest women players of all-time.  Chills. She would be the lynchpin of the team.

 

Stewart and Tuck played together for four years at UCONN and won four NCAA Championships together.  There is a strong bond.

 

Stewie will be a free agent after the 2025 season.  She is still one of the best players in the world.  A last hurrah in Connecticut?  Remember LeBron James upon winning a NBA Championship in Cleveland.  “This one’s for you Cleveland.”

 

(And by the way, if Stewie ever leaves the Liberty, expect Satou Sabally to come to New York.  It’s her kind of town, will open up opportunities outside of basketball, she’ll get the recognition she deserves as one of the best in the W, and it will give her the chance to play with her sister, which Satou has said is a future goal.)

 

Up next, Napheesa Collier, Stewie’s business partner in the Unrivaled League as well as her teammate one year at UCONN.  This could be a very tough sell as she’s in the prime of her career and the foundation for a Minnesota Lynx team that lost a gut-wrenching deciding Game 5 in the recent WNBA Finals and is hungry for a title. If the Lynx win it all this coming 2025 season, maybe….

 

Next up might be Azura Stevens, also in the prime of her career.  She’s a big part of the Los Angeles Sparks and is very happy in LA.  But if the Sparks don’t make significant progress this year, maybe a once-in-a-lifetime UCONN reunion will be appealing.  Stevens recently won a championship in the Unrivaled League with the Rose BC and I’m sure she is yearning for a WNBA title.

 

How about Gabby Williams?  She has played for the new Sun Head Coach Rachid Meziane when he was an assistant coach with the French National Team in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (played in 2021) and in the 2021 European Championships.

 

And in 2022, Williams experienced playing with three other UCONN alums with the Seattle Storm, to wit, Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, and Tina Charles.

 

In June 2022, after a Storm victory against the Liberty, but before Charles joined the Storm that season, I asked Williams what it was like playing with UCONN alums Stewart and Bird, and did they help her game.  She couldn’t have been more complimentary about the two.  Here are some of her comments:

 

“There’s just a connection between all UCONN alumni.  I even saw like Kalana Greene tonight in the stands. Never played with her but just a huge great hug.  It’s almost like we all have similar experiences and maybe that kind of brings us together.…It’s been really amazing to be able to have Sue and Stewie here…. Stew tells me anything, I almost want to write it down in a notebook and remember it forever….”

 

And there’s Tina Charles who looks like she could play until she’s 50.  Oh, my bad, she’s already on the Sun, having joined this off-season.

 

Kia Nurse is a two-time UCONN NCAA champ having played with Tuck and Stewie. Nurse was a four-year starter at UCONN and a very important part of those teams.

 

She’s been with five WNBA teams. The Liberty, Storm, Mercury, Sparks, and now the Sky.  In her six years in the league, only her Mercury teams in 2021 and 2022 made the playoffs and Nurse was injured in 2022. So, she’s only played in the playoffs in 2021. Maybe her mojo is waiting for her back in Connecticut.

 

Talking about mojo, success seems to follow Kiah Stokes, a two-time WNBA champ with the Las Vegas Aces, two-time EuroLeague Champion, two-time Turkish Cup Champion, a three-time NCAA champ at UCONN, and a state champ in high school.

 

Given Kiah’s good sense of humor, she may find this reunion amusing. But it also might be very attractive to be to play again with former UCONN teammates Stewart, Tuck, Nurse, and Moriah Jefferson.

 

Moriah Jefferson, now with the Chicago Sky, played with Stewart and Tuck in winning those four NCAA championships together.

 

Tiffany Hayes recently signed with the expansion team Golden State Valkyries and briefly retired from the WNBA when she was with the Sun two years ago.  Back in 2009 and 2010 she won NCAA championships with UCONN.  A WNBA championship, though, has eluded her after 12 seasons in the W.  Might she think: last hurrah?

 

Big Mama Stef Dolson - she could be the leader of the pack to help facilitate this get-together.

 

If second-year WNBA players Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Muhl don’t have the right to be free agents and don’t have the clout to force a trade in a year or two, maybe Tuck could make the Mystics and Storm offers they can’t refuse.  Cue the Godfather music.

 

Olivia Nelson-Ododa.  Already on the Sun.

 

And there’s also Lou-Lopez Senechal, Dorka Juhasz, Evina Westbrook, Christyn Williams, and Crystal Dangerfield.

 

Apologies if I’ve left anybody out.

 

Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi coming out of retirement?  Now that’s a fantasy.

 

Let’s turn to the curious case of Paige Bueckers - no introduction necessary. In a few days she will likely be the first person selected in 2025 WNBA Draft. The Dallas Wings own the number one pick and will likely take her. The Sun has the 7th and 8th overall picks. 

 

But will Bueckers play in the WNBA in 2025?   Howard Megdal, the veteran women’s basketball writer, in the March 19, 2025 article in The IX, posits that Bueckers may substantially benefit economically if she sits out the 2025 WNBA season. 

 

If the WNBA and the WNBA Players Association reach an agreement and enter into a new collective bargaining agreement for the 2026 season it is likely to be a substantial financial improvement for the players given the growth in the league. He says Bueckers could still benefit financially the year she sits out by playing overseas and/or the Unrivaled League.[1]

 

If Bueckers does sit out the 2025 season, she would be a free agent for 2026 and could sign with the Sun.

 

I spoke with Bueckers at the 2024 WNBA Draft as she was there to support her UCONN teammates Nika Muhl and Aaliyah Edwards.  That night she told me that it was always her dream to play in the WNBA. [2]

 

 Given her numerous endorsements with companies like Nike and Gatorade and the financial support that provides her, I’d be very surprised if she put her dream on hold for financial reasons.

 

But if she did sit for a season and then signed with the Sun, Bueckers could be the lynchpin of a young team trying to find its identity, or if there is a reunion, she could be one of many terrific former UCONN players on the Sun.

 

And last but not least, Coach Geno Auriemma.  Wouldn’t expect him to leave UCONN, especially after just winning his 12th NCAA title and seeing and hearing how meaningful it is to still coach at UCONN. And it’s only right to give new Sun Coach Meziane a good chance to succeed.

But Auriemma could keep his day job and moonlight as a consultant to the Sun with his deep knowledge of and affection for his former UCONN players.

 

After a UCONN game against St. John’s this past January, Auriemma was asked about his former spoke players Stewart and Collier starting the Unrivaled League. He said he couldn’t be prouder, as if they were his own children.[3]

 

Moonlighing. Btw, come to think of it, Geno and the character Bruce Willis played in Moonlighting, David Addison, have that common ability to be funny while making a pointed comment.

 

So which song is it?

 

Will it be the Beatles song, written by Lennon and McCartney, I’ll Follow the Sun? 

 

“One day, you’ll look, to see I’ve gone, for tomorrow may rain so I’ll follow the sun”.

 

Or will it be Earth, Wind & Fire’s Fantasy (The Twelfth of Never) written by Maurice White, Verdine White, and Eddie del Barrio?

 

I guess it’s true when EW&F sing:

 

“Every man has a place,

In his heart, there’s a space

And the world can’t erase his fantasies.”

 

1 https://www.theixsports.com/features/who-really-won-unrivaled-georgia-amoore-talks-kentucky-wnba-future/

2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzJ-ljFpTlA

3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byhK298yO50