University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Earn BIG EAST End-of-Season Honors
3/7/2024 11:02:00 AM | Women's Basketball
NEW YORK – UConn women's basketball redshirt junior guard Paige Bueckers is the 2023-24 BIG EAST Player of the Year, guard Ashlynn Shade is the Freshman of the Year and Geno Auriemma is the Coach of the Year as the league announced its annual awards Thursday.
Bueckers and senior forward Aaliyah Edwards were unanimously named to the All-BIG EAST First Team while senior guard Nika Mühl was selected to the Second Team. Shade was also All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention and along with KK Arnold, was unanimously tabbed to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.
Bueckers becomes the eighth player in league history to earn multiple BIG EAST Player of the Year certificates after claiming the honor following the 2020-21 season. She is the fifth Husky to repeat and first since three-time honoree Maya Moore (2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11). Over 18 league games, Bueckers finished No. 2 in scoring (22.0), No. 5 in assists (4.3), No. 6 in steals (2.0), No. 8 in blocks (0.9), No. 3 in field goal percentage (.574), No. 1 in free-throw shooting (.904) and No. 2 in assist/turnover ratio (3.2). The two-time national player of the week (USBWA) enters the postseason with four 30-point performances on the year and a BIG EAST-best 20 20-point games. UConn has taken home BIG EAST Player of the Year honors for the 19th time.
Bueckers was also named BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday, marking the 10th time the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year was also the BIG EAST Player of the Year.
Auriemma was selected BIG EAST Coach of the Year for the12th time after leading the shorthanded Huskies to their 23rd regular-season title and 11th undefeated BIG EAST finish. UConn lost five players to season-ending injuries, with four of their nine remaining available players being true or redshirt freshmen. Despite the adversity, UConn went 18-0 in BIG EAST play, winning by an average of 31.1 points per game. The Huskies enter postseason play with a 26-5 overall mark and top-10 rankings in both national polls.
Shade becomes the 14th Husky to win BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors and first since Bueckers did so in 2021. Over 18 BIG EAST games, Shade led all freshmen in both scoring (12.7) and rebounding (4.0), while listing second in steals (1.1) and third in assists (2.1). Her field goal percentage (.500) ranked seventh among all BIG EAST players. The rookie guard enters the postseason third on the Huskies in scoring with an 11.2 overall average.
Edwards has been one of the BIG EAST's most dominant players this season. She's averaging career highs with 17.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, leading the team in rebounding and field-goal percentage (.594). The Kingston, Ontario, native is recorded 16 double-doubles this season. Edwards scored a career-high 33 points vs. St. John's on Feb. 4. In BIG EAST play this season, she ranked No. 4 in scoring (17.9), No. 1 in rebounding (10.2), No. 1 in field goal percentage (.585), No. 10 in steals (1.8) and No. 9 in blocks (0.9).
Mühl earns All-BIG EAST Second Team honors for the second straight season. She leads the BIG EAST and ranks sixth nationally with 6.4 assists per game and averaged 7.7 assists per game in conference play. Mühl became the fifth Husky in program history to reach 600 career assists earlier this season and is currently tied for fourth at 632. The Zagreb, Croatia, native is also averaging career highs in field goal percentage (.483), three-point field goal percentage (.414) and rebounding (3.4) while tying her career-high in scoring (7.1).
In BIG EAST games this season, Arnold led all freshmen with 2.3 steals and 3.0 assists per game while ranking third with 9.2 points and fifth with 3.1 rebounds per game. The Germantown, Wis., native ranked second among all BIG EAST players in steals per game. Arnold scored in double digits in 12 games this season.
The Huskies (26-5, 18-0 BIG EAST) are the No. 1 seed in this weekend's BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. UConn will face No. 8-seed Butler (14-15, 6-12) or No. 9-seed Providence (12-19, 6-12) in the quarterfinals on Saturday at noon on FS1.
All-BIG EAST First Team
Paige Bueckers, UConn, R-Jr., G*
Aaliyah Edwards, UConn, Sr., F*
Lauren Jensen, Creighton, Sr., G*
Morgan Maly, Creighton, Sr., G/F
Emma Ronsiek, Creighton, Sr., F*
Kelsey Ransom, Georgetown, Sr., G
Liza Karlen, Marquette, Sr., F*
Unique Drake, St. John's, R-Sr., G*
Azana Baines, Seton Hall, Grad., G/F
Lucy Olsen, Villanova, Jr., G*
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Caroline Strande, Butler, Sr., G
Nika Mühl, UConn, Sr., G
Anaya Peoples, DePaul, Grad., G
Jordan King, Marquette, Sr., G
Olivia Olsen, Providence, Jr., F
All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Ashlynn Shade, UConn, Fr., G
Mackenzie Hare, Marquette, So., G
Jillian Archer, St. John's, Grad., F
Christina Dalce, Villanova, Jr., F
BIG EAST All-Freshman Team^
Riley Makalusky, Butler, Fr., G/F
KK Arnold, UConn, Fr., G*
Ashlynn Shade, UConn, Fr., G*
Savannah Catalon, Seton Hall, Fr., G*
Maddie Webber, Villanova, Fr., G*
Aizhanique Mayo, Xavier, R-Fr., G
*unanimous selection
^extra player added due to a tie in voting
