It All Started Here: Paige Bueckers

By her sophomore season, Hopkins High School girls basketball sensation Paige Bueckers had grabbed an abundance of headlines with her feats and was compared with Minnesota’s all-time greats. There was no denying her advanced skill level, her on-court charisma and impact in establishing Hopkins as a national power.

From school administrators to the media that assembled to chronicle her amazing play, many wondered if her growth as a leader was the only thing was left to distinguish her as not only a Minnesota heroine but also place her among the national icons.

Consider: During her sophomore season, Hopkins played Eastview in a holiday tournament, a game that featured the top schools in Minnesota’s largest enrollment class. In the first half, on the defensive end, Bueckers was whistled for a foul on a steal attempt that was too aggressive. Seconds later, another steal attempt was clean.

After a time-out, Bueckers, still agitated a bit by the foul call, was set to inbound the ball. She said to the calling official: “I’ll bet if my name was LeBron, I would have gotten that call.”

The official suppressed a smile at the brash comment. But her legendary coach, Brian Cosgriff, wasn’t amused. He immediately put in a sub for her to have a teaching moment.

Two years later in her senior season, the same official was working a home game at Hopkins. He could see that Bueckers was frustrated. During a dead ball, he asked: “Paige, are you OK?” She shook her head and said she was not. “I’m frustrated with a couple of my teammates and frustrated with one of your crewmates.”

The official, knowing how she had grown into a respected leader, responded: “How about this? You work with your teammates, and I will work with the official.” She thought for a second, shook her head in the affirmative, and said, “You’ve got a deal.”

Cosgriff, curious about the exchange, inquired about what was going on. The official, during a transition the other way, assured him that all was well. “We were just working on some leadership things. She’s doing an incredible job.” He smiled appreciatively and thanked the official for his advocacy and commitment to working with student-athletes.

Hopkins, nationally ranked during Bueckers’ senior season, was an overwhelming favorite to win the Class AAAA crown that season, but didn’t have the opportunity. The championship game in 2020 was not played after the tournament was cancelled in the wake of a global pandemic.

Bueckers finished her five-year varsity career with a school-record 2,877 points, 795 assists and 574 steals. She was the national player of the year by three organizations and played in the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic.

Bueckers went on to a stellar career with the University of Connecticut, leading the Huskies to an NCAA national championship in her final year. She now is one of the WNBA’s top players with the Dallas Wings.

Tim Leighton is communications coordinator with the Minnesota State High School League and a member of the High School Today Publications Committee. He can be reached at tleighton@mshsl.org.