Paige Bueckers capped her UConn career with a national championship, a Wade Trophy and unanimous All-American honors.
On April 14, she was the Dallas Wings’ No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Meanwhile, just down I-35, another Husky alum was rewriting NBA history.
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On Tuesday, San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle was named the NBA’s 2024-25 Rookie of the Year, securing 92 of 100 first-place votes after posting 14.7 points, 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds over 81 games.
Castle becomes the fourth Spur ever to claim the honor and gives San Antonio back-to-back winners for the first time since the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2014-15 (Andrew Wiggins) and 2015-16 (Karl-Anthony Towns).
Shortly after the news broke, Bueckers took to her Instagram story to celebrate her fellow UConn alum’s achievement: “Yessir Steph!”.
Paige Bueckers, InstagramPaige Bueckers, Instagram
The post linked two Huskies pedigrees: Castle for the men, Bueckers for the women.
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Bueckers’ arrival in Dallas comes after a Wings season that sat at 9–31 but earned the franchise a coveted No. 1 pick.
At UConn, Bueckers finished third all-time in scoring (2,439 points) and first in average (19.9 PPG).
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers.© Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Castle, a UConn freshman last season, posted 11.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 2.9 APG en route to a national title before jumping to San Antonio and flourishing in the NBA.
As Bueckers and Castle begin their pro chapters, one in Arlington, one in San Antonio, their shared alma mater can claim an unprecedented double: a WNBA No. 1 pick and an NBA Rookie of the Year, both Huskies turned Lone Star icons.
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