Born in Edina, Paige Bueckers had already started dribbling at the tender age of 5 years. She was a young catcher in the Little League Baseball, who also played football and soccer. However, it was basketball that got her attention locked in altogether by the time she was in the first grade. Even in elementary school, Buekcers made friends in high places, i.e. the NBA’s Jalen Suggs. Although she received her basketball guidance from her father, the UConn star was already drawing inspiration from the elites.

As a result, she developed her game around basketball legends like LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, Diana Taurasi, and Sue Bird. While she grew up supporting her home team in the W, the Minnesota Lynx, being a fan wasn’t the end of it. She ran her own series of youth basketball clinics called – Buckets with Bueckers, which offered free admission to Minnesota players and other community welfare. So, let’s look back to the time in high school when she developed into a basketball phenom.

Paige Bueckers’ time at Hopkins High School

While in elementary school, the 7th grader made some noise on her All-Tournament Team selection at 7th Grade AAU Nationals. Evaluated as a combo guard, Paige Bueckers played with a scorer’s mentality. She would swiftly handle the ball in transition. Moreover, her execution in half-court games with an extended defense to the arc was outstanding at that age. Being able to score in bunches, Bueckers was set on a path to greatness. She stepped on the varsity team as an 8th grader for the 2015-16 season. That time, she started her varsity play with an average of 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game.

Then, she made her high school freshman debut with a bang. The talented athlete recorded 28 points, 4 assists, and 5 steals against Osseo High School, and took a 74-34 win. Upgrading herself as one of the team’s leading scorers and passers, Bueckers averaged 23.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3 assists, 6.8 steals, and a block per game. Starting in all 32 games, she led Hopkins to a 31-1 record with a single loss they took from Elk River High School during the Class 4A state championship and made the Class 4A All-Tournament Team.

In her sophomore season, she was already playing like an elite guard in the class of 2020. Her elusive off-dribbles and mid-range game propelled her as a confident leader on the floor. Bueckers was going well for the first two months of the season but started feeling uncomfortable in one of her ankles. After averaging 24.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 3.7 steals, and o.5 blocks per game, she was eventually sidelined with an ankle injury. Meanwhile, she carried Hopkins to a 28-4 overall record. She faced 3 straight defeats with the third one coming at the Class 4A state title game.

Her season concluded with pleasantries as she became the first player who was presented Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year honor since its creation over 3 decades earlier. Moreover, she was recognized for her athletic excellence, academic achievement, and exemplary character and was named Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year.

In these three years of her prep career, Paige Bueckers had already garnered 1,508 points, 389 rebounds, 361 assists, 278 steals, and 39 blocks. Hence, she was only a couple of hundred points away from reaching an astonishing career feat, which came shortly into her junior year.

Bueckers going for a career 2k

Showcasing her agility as a junior, the Minnesota native led Hopkins to a perfect 32-0 record. She brought out her scorer’s mentality with a career-high 43 points in a 69-66 victory over Wayzata High School and surpassed the 2000-point career mark. The 22-year-old exemplified herself as a true competitive spirit in the 2019 Clas 4A state championship when she, despite being ill, played the game and scored 13 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 steals, and led Hopkins to another state championship title with a 74-45 victory.

That season, she averaged 24.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 4.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game and won the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year and Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year honors for the second straight time. Bueckers followed her North Tartan elementary school coach Tara Starks and moved to the Minnesota Metro Stars AAU program and without any surprise, she won the AAU Player of the Year there as well!

Following that, her senior season arrived in 2020, running parallel with the COVID-19 pandemic. On the upside, Bueckers became the first female high school basketball player to be featured on the cover of the basketball magazine – SLAM. She put out another undefeated season. However, couldn’t play the first game of the state championship title due to the elongated stress reaction in her right leg because of overuse. Hence, she would sometimes wear a walking boot as prevention.

Leading Hopkins to another perfect season with straight 62 wins and Class 4A state championship, Bueckers was selected to two of the most significant high school all-star games, i.e. the McDonald’s All-American and Jordan Brand Classic. However, both the games were canceled due to the pandemic, similar to that year’s state championship tournament.

She put out her senior season scoring average at 21.4 points, 5 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 5.4 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. It was for the third consecutive time that Bueckers won the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year honor. But that’s not all. She was presented with numerous honors and awards to mark her basketball excellence. These included Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year, Gatorade National Player of the Year, Naismith Prep Player of the Year, Morgan Wootten Player of the Year, and Minnesota Miss Basketball. The guard concluded her high school career with 2,877 points, 795 assists, and 574 steals.

Her illustrious career at Hopkins made her one of the best players in the history of Minnesota girls’ high school basketball. And her rise to fame has only continued. Apart from her ‘aggressive’ basketball skills, Paige Bueckers has also remained grounded, only adding more to her personality.