So Bob pulled his daughter out of the game. The opposing coach flagged down the refs. And, of course, Bueckers had already maxed out. But there was a problem: This was a rec-league game - and rec-league rules stipulated that every kid was required to play even time. So Bob did what any coach would do - he put in his best player. It was overtime and they were down by a couple of buckets, and Bueckers was on the bench. She was already playing with kids a few grades older because she'd been too good to play with those her own age. UConn and Bueckers begin their bid Sunday against High Point.įrom elementary school through AAU through high school superstardom, to enrolling at basketball-obsessed schools on opposite sides of the country, this is the inside story of the phenomenal freshman friendship fueling March Madness.īORN 139 DAYS and 20-some miles apart in an area known more for hockey, a giant mall and Paul Bunyan, Suggs and Bueckers wasted no time building their own local legends - in basketball.Ĭonsider a game in which Bueckers. Gonzaga and Suggs open their tournament on Saturday against the winner of Appalachian State and Norfolk State. For the next three weeks, and for years to come, the basketball brilliance forged in Minnesota will be on display for the entire country to see. And Bueckers, who has had one of the most prolific freshman seasons in UConn history, looks to bring the title back to Storrs for the first time since 2016 and the 12th time in all. Suggs, a projected lottery pick in the 2021 NBA draft, looks to deliver undefeated and top-seeded Gonzaga its first national championship in program history. Never is that truth more important than now - on the eve of the 2021 NCAA basketball tournaments. Over never-ending games of 21 at Suggs family barbecues or while sipping milkshakes side by side, they discovered a shared truth: When the game is on the line, and when the lights are brightest, they want the ball in their hands. Two hours later, Suggs scores a game-high 24 points in Gonzaga's 11-point victory over the Cougars.īefore they were separated by thousands of miles, before they became two of the most exciting basketball players in the country, Jalen Suggs and Paige Bueckers were little kids with common dreams growing up together in the Twin Cities metro area of Minneapolis/St. Bueckers did her job and now it's time for him to do his. "You're really the GOAT!" Suggs yells into his phone, holding it so Bueckers will be able to see his face. UConn has won 63-59 and her miraculous shot replays on his TV.
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Suggs shouts at the TV and grabs his phone to send a Snap to Bueckers. It bounces high off the back of the rim, hanging in the air above the backboard, before finally dropping through the net with 10.8 seconds to go. With four seconds on the shot clock, and 14 in the game, Bueckers catches a panicked pass from Nelson-Ododa, plants her feet, and heaves a fadeaway 3-pointer.
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The Gamecocks' defense collapses and she dishes to Olivia Nelson-Ododa at the free throw line before leaking back to the top of the key. With eight seconds left on the shot clock, Bueckers drives to the basket. His eyes follow Bueckers as she jogs down the court for UConn's final possession. With 41 seconds to go, Suggs pivots back and forth between the bed and the TV. She pulls up just inside the 3-point line and drills a jumper. The Huskies' guard has scored eight straight UConn points, and everyone - Suggs included - knows the ball is headed back her way.īueckers catches a pass on the right wing and dribbles toward the middle of the court off a ball screen. Her shoes squeak against the Gampel Pavilion hardwood as she comes off a screen. It's the biggest game of Bueckers' electric freshman season. 1 South Carolina by one point with less than a minute to go in overtime. "I had to stand up and watch it," Suggs says. He'd started streaming the UConn game on his iPad, but the Gonzaga freshman needs to really see this one. Suggs is wearing out the hotel room carpet.
8 against BYU, but in Storrs, Connecticut, the seconds are ticking down on his friend Paige Bueckers. The minutes are ticking down to tipoff for Gonzaga's nationally televised men's basketball game on Feb. JALEN SUGGS PACES in front of the television in his hotel room in Provo, Utah. This story about their friendship originally was published March 18, 2021. UConn freshman Paige Bueckers and Gonzaga freshman Jalen Suggs play in the Final Four of their respective NCAA tournaments this weekend. Women's College Basketball, Men's College Basketball, UConn Huskies, Gonzaga Bulldogs Gonzaga's Jalen Suggs, UConn's Paige Bueckers and the friendship that fuels March Madness
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