UConn sophomore Paige Bueckers won the ESPY Award for best women's sports college athlete on Saturday. Bueckers had an outstanding freshman season for the Huskies, averaging 20 points, 5.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
She became the first freshman to be named Naismith Player of the Year and AP Player of the Year. Bueckers was also named a USBWA and Wooden Award All-American, earned Big East Player and Freshman of the Year along with Most Outstanding Player at the Big East Tournament.
In addition, she was named the River Walk Region Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament, helping UConn reach its 13th consecutive Final Four.
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"I'm honored to show all the little kids that are watching this that dreams do come true if you work hard and you have great faith in your life," Bueckers said while accepting the ESPY Award in New York City.
She also made it a point to shine a light on those that she says are not celebrated enough.
"With the light that I have now as a white woman who leads a black led sports that's celebrated here, I want to show a light on Black women," said Bueckers. "They don't the media coverage they deserve. They've given so much to this sport, the community and society as a whole and their value in undeniable."
Former Huskies Breanna Stewart and Maya Moore were also recognized at the ESPY Awards. Stewart won the award for best WNBA player while Moore received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award for her efforts in criminal justice reform.
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"If you want to say I have courage, I'd say my courage has not been as much in me not playing but in the emotional, mental and spiritual outpouring into love and fighting against injustice," Moore said while accepting her award.
