Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve Sends Clear Message Before Paige Bueckers' Rookie Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated May 16, 2025 10:45 PM ET

Friday night’s opener at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, was electric long before tipoff.

A sold-out crowd packed the arena as the Dallas Wings prepared to host the Minnesota Lynx in a matchup that carried a lot of weight as the WNBA debut of No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers.

Bueckers, facing the very franchise she idolized growing up in Minnesota, put up ten points, seven rebounds, two assists and one block in what was an 84-99 loss for the Wings.

Reeve, serving dual roles as head coach and president of basketball operations for the Lynx, spoke about Bueckers' roots before the game.

“She’s from Minnesota. We’re super proud of her… Minnesota is an incredible place for girls' basketball, women’s basketball, and we’ve been a huge part of that. You know, we’re a big reason why Paige, sort of, got a chance to dream… She deserves it.”

Cheryl Reeve speaks about Paige Bueckers pic.twitter.com/i2LWOJsKTc
— Moreau Sports Media Prod Co. (@MoreauSportsCo) May 16, 2025

Born in Edina and raised in nearby St. Louis Park, Minnesota, Bueckers was the nation’s top recruit out of Hopkins High School.

Joining UConn in 2020, she became the first freshman ever to sweep the AP Player of the Year, Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award and Nancy Lieberman Award honors in a single season.

After overcoming knee injuries that sidelined her in her sophomore and junior seasons, she returned to lead the Huskies to an undefeated conference slate and the 2025 NCAA championship.

Bueckers closed her UConn career as the third-highest point scorer in program history with 2,439 points and the highest career scoring average at 19.9 per game.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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