The desert air in Phoenix, Arizona hums a little louder during NCAA Women’s Final Four weekend. There’s heat, hype, and a whole lot of college basketball. And right in the center of it all is Paige Bueckers, who’s spent the last few years as one of the most recognizable faces in the sport. Last year the former University of Connecticut standout debuted in her WNBA rookie season on the Dallas Wings. Now on the other side of the NCAA, she’s bringing her confidence and pro-level insights to her former teammates.
This year’s tournament, though, didn’t end the way many expected. UConn’s upset loss against South Carolina on Friday ended the team’s winning streak—one game short of the championship game.
“Every single one of them has a bright future ahead of them and I know they’ll use that to make them better,” Bueckers tells SELF. “I’ve been there. I’ve lost. I came up short, and we just learn, grow and keep moving.”
Loss and disappointment is just part of the game, Bueckers explains. And for a team that ended their season with an exceptional 54-game winning streak and 38-1 record, Bueckers has no doubt this will only make her former teammates stronger.
“It makes you hungry for sure,” she says. “It makes you extra driven, extra motivated. And sometimes adversity is the best teacher.”
SELF caught up with Bueckers during the Final Four frenzy to talk about the tournament, life beyond basketball, and her WNBA season ahead.
SELF: Now that you’ve completed your rookie season in the WNBA, how has your approach to preparation—physically and mentally—evolved from your college days?
Paige Bueckers: I think definitely through injury, and to take nothing in life for granted. Every single day you wake up it’s a blessing. And it’s important not to have a sense of entitlement. It’s a tremendous honor to wake up and live out your dream playing basketball as your profession. So all of that, and just taking care of my body and being super disciplined in my habits for who I want to be every single day.
Last year, it was tough because I had to deal with not having a successful winning season, and being a part of a rebuild. It doesn’t happen overnight. I’ve learned to not be result-driven, and still be consistent and disciplined in who I am regardless of the results. I just have an unconditional joy and gratitude to show up with the same mentality and the same attitude whether we have a winning season or a losing season.
