Paige Bueckers hits 2,000 points; Aubrey Griffin makes long-awaited return
On Sunday, Paige Bueckers became the fastest player in UConn history to reach 2,000 career points. But — entering the game needing just six points to hit the mark — she didn’t exactly get there quickly in the win over Seton Hall.
While Bueckers drilled a 3-pointer just over a minute in to pull within reach of the milestone, she spent more time distributing than scoring in the opening quarter. She racked up five assists, which resulted in 10 points for her teammates. Bueckers knew what she needed to get to 2,000 but didn’t want to put herself ahead of the team.
“I didn't want to press, I didn't want to force the issue and just let it happen naturally within the game flow and continue to play the right way, look for my teammates, look for my shot, play UConn basketball, and what's supposed to happen will happen,” she explained.
“When you know that the 2,000 points is inevitable, you probably can be a little more casual about it and wait for it to happen,” Geno Auriemma said.
Bueckers wasn’t actively trying to drag out the process, though. She started 1-4 from the field, so her shot just wasn’t falling early on.
“If I would have made some shots, I could have got there quicker,” she said.
It all worked out in the end. Bueckers hit a couple free throws early in the second period to get within one. Then, at the 8:05 mark of the second quarter, she got the ball at the top of the perimeter, dribbled in to the free throw line and sank a pull-up jumper. A quintessential shot from Bueckers for points 2,000 and 2,001.
“I'm glad she did it the way it happened today,” Auriemma said.
The crowd erupted at the bucket and continued at the next timeout when the video boards showed Bueckers sitting on the bench. Fittingly, she remained laser-focused on the huddle even as her accomplishment was announced over the public address system.
After all, Bueckers has greater aims than any individual accolade.
"I know the points are a source of accomplishment for her but I think us winning, us moving on and us having a magical year are probably more important to her than anything else,” Auriemma told SNY at the half.
Griffin makes long-awaited return
It proved to be an eventful Sunday at Gampel Pavilion for the Huskies. Along with Bueckers reaching 2,000 points, Aubrey Griffin also made her season debut 381 days after tearing the ACL in her left knee.
With 4:37 left in the second quarter, Auriemma walked down the bench and personally sent her to the scorer’s table. Griffin entered the game to a standing ovation from the 10,299 fans in attendance.
She played for the remainder of the first half then went back in for a second stint with 6:34 remaining in regulation. The sixth-year forward finished with three points — including a vintage transition layup — and four rebounds in 10 minutes, though the performance itself was secondary.
“I know for sure she had some fun just putting that uniform on and going out there and the reaction from the crowd,” Auriemma said. “I'm thrilled for her. I really wasn't expecting anything at all. I was just happy to see her out there and we'll build on it little by little.”
Griffin admitted that there were plenty of nerves early on but felt more comfortable when she went in the second time. She understood she wouldn’t be her usual self right away. Instead, Sunday was all about just getting back on the court.
“It'll definitely take a couple of games under my belt just to get used to playing again. I mean, I haven't played in over a year, so it's to be expected,” Griffin said. “It just feels great to be out there with them. It's been a long process and I'm just happy that I'm finally back to playing.”
Just as she did in Azzi Fudd’s first game back, Bueckers tried to make Griffin’s return memorable by setting up a shot for her on the initial possession. While it didn’t work out — Griffin passed the ball — it was mostly just a way to get her settled in.
“A couple of us on the team know what it's like to play in your first game back from a major injury — the nerves and the anxiousness and the anxiety about it,” Bueckers explained. “So just to be able to feed her, get her comfortable, get her going and have her know that all of us believe in her and we are extremely excited to have her back was definitely the goal. Yeah, just extremely happy for Aubrey.”
The new Kerry Bascom
Way back in June, before Sarah Strong even began summer workouts at UConn, Auriemma likened the freshman to Kerry Bascom, the Huskies’ first All-American.
“She reminds me a lot of a kid that almost nobody say play, this kid Kerry Bascom,” he said at the time. “She was our best ball handler, she was our best passer, she was one of our phenomenal shooters and she was clutch… Nobody, I think, could ever say ‘She played this position’ because she didn't have one.”
On Sunday, Bascom and her family were in attendance at Gampel Pavilion and got a first-hand look at Strong. They agreed with the comparison.
“When talking to [Bascom’s] dad and then talking to Kerry, they both nodded their head and smiled and said, ‘Yeah, when I first saw her play, that's exactly who I thought of,’” Auriemma said. “So it's ironic that she came here and saw Sarah do the exact same things that Kerry was doing on the exact same court 35 years.”
It’s also fitting that Bascom, the first UConn player to reach 2,000 points, was in the house to witness Bueckers joining the club. In that vein, Auriemma shared a story about the forgotten star.
“I still think the greatest story ever about Kerry Bascom is when we first started selling tickets to games, she came back to a game and she was going to her seat. There’s ‘points’ where however many points you have by donations, that's where your seats are. She was going to her seat and somebody said … ‘How many points do you have to get [these seats]?’ She said, ‘2,177 (her total at UConn).’ It was one of the greatest lines of all time.”