Paige Bueckers, who plays on the University of Connecticut Huskies women’s basketball team, recently gave glory to God for helping her grow through “trials and tribulations” during a season of injures that kept her on the sidelines.
Bueckers, 22, from Minnesota, scored 28 points against the USC Trojans on Monday, leading her team to another NCAA Final Four.
“I’m a living testimony,” Bueckers told an ESPN reporter. “[God] works in mysterious ways. Last year I was praying to be back at this stage. And he sent me trials and tribulations. But it was to build my character; it was to test my faith.” She added that she “just kept on believing” and “did all I could so God can do all I can’t.”
Buecker also pointed to faith when the reporter noted that her coach Geno Auriemma said it would take a “miracle” for the team to make it this far.
“You can overcome anything with God on your side, with hard work on your side,” she said. “With the belief and the faith… the perseverance, the resilience. It’s all about how you overcome adversity in life.”
Coach Auriemma said Bueckers plays on “a different level” and is an inspiration to those around her.
“Today Paige was doing Paige things,” he said after the Huskies defeated USC.
“She is basketball. She embodies greatness every time she steps on the court,” Teammate Ashlynn Shade said of Bueckers.
The Huskies are scheduled to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes and superstar Caitlin Clark on April 5. The winning team will advance to the national championship game, which neither Bueckers nor Clark have won.
As Church Leaders reported, Bueckers faced several injuries throughout college, including a torn ACL that sidelined for the entire 2022-23 season. Nevertheless, she asserted God has kept her strong throughout her challenges.
“Part of me thinks it was God calling me to use this [injury]. I feel like I’m just gonna have a great story to tell by the end of it,” she told ESPN in November 2023.
She also praised God for growing her faith throughout her recovery and helping her view the setback “not as an obstacle but just a wave of adversity—just something that I can get through.”
While God did not promise a life without obstacles, Bueckers added, “He did promise that he would be there every step of the way.”
Image credit: ©Getty Images / Steph Chambers / Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
