In the span of just one month, Paige Bueckers went from cutting a piece of the net at Tampa’s Amalie Arena after leading the UConn Huskies to their twelfth NCAA Women’s Championship to being the first overall pick in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) 2025 draft.
Her evolution and success as an athlete has become apparent to the public, especially among female athletes who now idolize her. Female student-athletes at Mamaroneck High School and all across the country have been inspired with how Bueckers is changing the landscape of women’s basketball.
Sonya Prozes (‘28), a member of Mamaroneck’s girls’ varsity basketball team, explained, “Not many athletes are as positive as she is, and because of that optimism, she inspires me to not give up even after a bad game or a bad practice.”
Bueckers is changing the image that women present in professional sports, which is making its way down to the high school level. Prozes expresses that “Paige Bueckers will always be one of my inspirations because you have to enjoy the sport you play, and she helps me do that.”
The Dallas Wings seem to be on the way toward achievement as they were very strategic in the offseason. The Wings made improvements to their coaching staff by adding former USC assistant coach Chris Koclanes to be their head coach. After a letdown of a season last year, with a record of nine wins and 31 losses, the Wings are hoping to turn it around heading into the 2025 season.
Injuries were a huge problem for the Wings last season so with the expectancy of players returning healthy, the Dallas Wings are remaining optimistic. This positivity is crucial at MHS as well, with our varsity teams seeing similar setbacks. Offseason workouts, preseason before tryouts, and a jam-packed season make injuries easy to come by. The athletics program and our varsity athletes can use Buekers and the Dallas Wings as inspiration for leading with a positive mindset, determination, and team effort in every aspect of their season.
Bueckers will now be the starting point guard for the Dallas Wings, and the coaches anticipate that she will bring a new energy to the Wings, following the worst record in the WNBA last season.
In WNBA preseason action, Bueckers has been bonding with her teammates as they establish their team chemistry. MHS girls varsity basketball starting point guard, Emi Resendiz (’28), stated that she is “inspired by how easily Paige Bueckers is able to transition to a new team
with completely new teammates.” A new team is a challenge all high school athletes have faced and is “incredibly challenging, and it amazes me and influences me because of how well she is able to do that.” Bueckers rise to fame will continue to serve as great inspiration for MHS’s girls’ basketball, demonstrating perseverance, hard work, and dedication.
