Hello world! Paige Bueckers is off to Argentina with Team USA

Followers of girls basketball in Minnesota have known for a long time that Paige Bueckers is a special talent. Now the rest of the world is about to find out, too. This week, the dynamic guard from Hopkins High School and North Tartan AAU was named to the USA National Under 16 team. “It means the world to me,” Bueckers said from the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. “It still hasn’t sunk in that I actually get to go to Argentina and represent my country with the USA letters on my chest. It seems so unreal. I’m very blessed.”

Indeed. The team consists of eight sophomores, three freshmen, and one 8th grader, the uber-talented Azzi Fudd of Falls Church, Virginia. Among the 12 is another familiar face – freshman Caitlin Clark of All Iowa Attack. “I was extremely nervous, but when they said, ‘You made the team’ I felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders,” Bueckers said. “There are no more cuts and no more pressure to make the team. Now it’s just the chase for gold”

Next week the team will travel to Argentina to compete in the FIBA Tournament of the Americas. The USA will face Columbia, Mexico, and Puerto Rico in group play. The Dominican Republic, Argentina, Venezuela and Canada are on the other side of the draw. Hopkins Coach Brian Cosgriff said he was not surprised that Bueckers made the squad. “I worked with a lot of those kids last summer at elite camps and, in my humble opinion, I didn’t think there was anybody I worked with that was better than Paige,” he said. “She’s the best player I’ve ever had at this age. She has just been blessed with these great instincts, she has a very high basketball IQ, she’s very skilled and she loves to play the game. But her greatest attribute is that she’s a really nice kid. Everyone loves her, and she’s a great teammate.”

Bueckers is ranked number one in Minnesota’s class of 2020 by by Northstar Girls Hoops, but few would argue that she is the best player in the state in any age group. Every time she touches the ball Bueckers is a threat, and she plays the game with the kind of flair reserved for those who have been anointed for greatness. Bueckers shot 54 percent from three this year and averaged 21 points. On many nights, her minutes are limited because Hopkins is so far ahead. “She has done more as a freshman than anyone I have ever seen. She works really hard and wants to be the best,” Cosgriff said. “People don’t realize what a great athlete she is. She’s the fastest player on the team and she has such great court awareness. She needs to get stronger, but once that happens the sky is the limit. She may become the greatest high school player this state has ever seen.”

In her official USA Basketball profile, Bueckers is now listed at 5-11, 130. One can assume they measured these kids upon arrival in Colorado Springs. If so, that means Bueckers has grown another inch, or maybe it’s the altitude. Regardless, she’s going to keep growing and getting better. “These girls are extremely talented,” Bueckers said of her new teammates. “In fact, probably everyone that attended the camp could go Division I, so competing against them just makes you realize that you are not the best and you can use that as motivation to get better.”

Theisen tried out for red, white, and blue, too

While Bueckers was among the lucky 12 who made the Team USA roster, she wasn’t the only Minnesotan at the tryouts. Sophomore Kallie Theisen of Wayzata H.S. and Crossfire AAU was one of 133 hopefuls in attendance. The 6-foot-2-inch power forward, currently ranked number two in the class of 2019, called it an amazing experience. “Just to have USA across your chest is a really cool feeling,” said Theisen, one of the state’s most aggressive posts. “To be able to compete against some of the best players in the country was awesome.”

Although Theisen did not make the team, that didn’t stop the 16-year-old from pulling for her rival from the Lake Conference. “I’m so proud of Paige. She works really hard and she deserves it,” Theisen said. “It’s awesome for Minnesota basketball, too. It just shows the level of competition we have here and how great the basketball programs are. I’m really happy for her.”

Theisen is a prolific rebounder whose offensive skill set gives defenders fits.  She averaged 14 points on 51% shooting and is leading a resurgence in Wayzata basketball. For Theisen, the tryouts were a terrific learning experience. The first two days of camp were primarily skill development with some scrimmaging. A lot of time was devoted to off-court sessions, including one on leadership led by four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings. Trying out for Team USA reinforced what she already knew: “I just need to get stronger overall because I am not as strong as some of the other post players or forwards,” Theisen said. “I also need to keep working on my ballhandling skills.”

For now, it’s back to Crossfire Theisen (named for coach Ken, not his daughter Kallie). She’s drawing serious interest from Power 5 schools and mid-majors, and has several Division I offers in hand. Crossfire is off until the Summer Jam in two weeks, taking time to rest and recuperate. They finished third in the state tournament after winning the past two years. “We have been inconsistent this year, and at times we have just given up too many points,” Theisen said. “Before last year, I don’t think people really expected us to be as good as we were. Now everyone wants to beat Crossfire, and they give us their best game.”