Paige Bueckers, former Hopkins teammate Amaya Battle go head-to-head as coaches of Twin Cities Pro Am
MINNEAPOLIS -- Paige Bueckers and the University of Connecticut women's basketball team will play the Gophers at Williams Arena in November, but Monday night Bueckers and Gophers guard Amaya Battle competed as coaches at the Twin Cities Pro Am.
The two were former teammates at Hopkins.
"She's like a little sister to me. So it's really exciting to be able to have this experience with her," said Bueckers.
"I think my team has the biggest advantage. So I'm just gonna let my team go. Let my team do the talking for me," said Battle.
Bueckers is used to the sideline. She missed all of last season at UConn with an ACL injury. But she is on track to return in the fall.
"I'm like 95%. I just got the last couple steps in order to get cleared. But we'll see when I go back to school what they say. But I'm very, very close," she said.
The former National Player of the Year is noncommittal about whether her redshirt junior season will be her last. First she'll worry about returning to form, and reclaiming her role as one of the best in the sport.
"Just really excited to get back on the court. I miss it so much. I am nervous. I'm always nervous. But more excited and just can't wait," she said.
Before Bueckers, it was Tyus Jones making a name for Minnesota basketball. He's now an NBA veteran willing to share knowledge with his Pro Am coach, Amaya Battle, now a sophomore on the Gophers team.
"Just talking about how to break down the game. How to play at your own pace, but also how to change pace - how that's key. So just little stuff like that. And for me, that was cool, seeing that she was eager to learn and ask questions," said Jones.
