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Myron Medcalf
Whereas Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers’ debut is a giant deal for basketball followers all over the world, it means much more to her hometown of Hopkins, Minnesota, which modified its identify to “Paige Bueckers, Minnesota” on Friday to rejoice her first WNBA sport.
There shall be an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. Streets within the metropolis shall be known as “Bueckers Boulevard.” There shall be a beer named after Bueckers at a neighborhood brewery. She’ll have her personal ice cream at a preferred store on the town. You’ll be able to even get a Paige Bueckers sushi roll. And the day will conclude with a watch get together at her former highschool because the Wings tackle the Minnesota Lynx.
“Each enterprise I can consider has one thing occurring the place they’re making an attempt to assist rejoice and it is simply all about having enjoyable,” mentioned Patrick Hanlon, mayor of Hopkins, Minnesota. “We’re proud to call our metropolis after her for a day. And for the oldsters that know her and watched her develop up as she got here up by way of the town as a workforce member, as a neighborhood member and because the champion that she is. We’re simply very happy with her.”
Earlier than she received the Picket Award and a nationwide title at UConn, Bueckers was a star at Hopkins Excessive Faculty, the place she led the workforce to the 2019 state title. She was the Gatorade Nationwide Participant of the 12 months and extensively considered the highest highschool participant within the nation when she signed with the UConn Huskies.
At UConn, she received the Picket Award as a freshman in 2021 and earned three first-team All-America picks earlier than the Wings chosen her with the primary decide in April’s draft — days after she led the Huskies to the nationwide title.
However Hopkins, a city of 19,000 within the Minneapolis suburbs, additionally is aware of her for her neighborhood work. Bueckers, Hanlon mentioned, continues to donate to native causes. When she was in highschool, she began a meals shelf for low-income residents. Hanlon mentioned that Bueckers’ dedication to the neighborhood is why the city needs to honor her and present its appreciation for every part she has achieved on and off the court docket.
“I believe it is simply the truth that we’re a small city,” Hanlon mentioned. “It’s a small city really feel, and actually, individuals on this neighborhood and the encompassing neighborhood know her as a neighborhood member. And I believe it is that straightforward, as an individual from the neighborhood who achieved one thing actually wonderful and has loads of potential nonetheless in her profession. And so I will not sit right here and say that something has been excessive. It is simply that she’s an actual particular person and an actual neighborhood member right here.”