Caitlin Clark was full of praise for Paige Bueckers during her college career and the Huskies star is reportedly planning to leave UConn and declare herself for the 2025 WNBA draft.

Caitlin Clark will know what to expect from Paige Bueckers in the new WNBA season.

Bueckers will aim for Clark’s Rookie of the Year crown after ESPN reported that she plans to declare herself for the WNBA draft. The 23-year-old has spent her college career with UConn and is projected to be the first overall pick, like Clark last year.

The pair faced off against each other twice at college, and their bond goes back even further than that. Clark is well-placed to predict the impact that the Huskies star will have on the WNBA and previously declared: “She’s always been able to go up against the best.”

Speaking last year, she said: “Her game is just so smooth. She’s fun to watch. She moves effortlessly out there like it’s just so natural.

“Then she additionally works really hard at it. Paige has always been one of the most dominant players, that has never changed. She’s always been able to go up against the best.”

Bueckers will hope to prove Clark right, but her initial plan to join the WNBA was disrupted by an ACL injury that saw her sidelined for the 2022/23 season. However, Clark believed that setback helped the Huskies guard demonstrate a key component of her game.

“The coolest thing about Paige is how resilient she is,” Clark admitted. “Obviously she’s kind of been dealt a tough hand. The way she carries herself on and off the court, the way she works hard.

“None of that has changed since I’ve known her since she was in middle school, she’s always worked that same way. She’s always had that fire, she’s always been a great leader.”

Bueckers displayed her leadership skills as she steered UConn into the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. On Saturday, UConn earned an 82-59 win over Oklahoma, with Bueckers scoring a career-high 40 points.

It had been rumored that she might choose not to declare for the draft and could remain in school or spend the following year in the new Unrivaled league. This notion was fuelled by ESPN reporting that Bueckers’ preferred destination would be the Los Angeles Sparks rather than the Dallas Wings, who hold the top draft pick.

But Bueckers, who has averaged 19.2 points per game this season, appears intent on joining the WNBA, although she is remaining focused on winning the NCAA tournament with the Huskies. The team’s win over Oklahoma means UConn will face USC in the Elite Eight on Monday.

“Everybody at this point of the season is trying to keep winning, to win a national title and keep the season going as long as possible, everybody has the same goal,” Bueckers said, as reported by Sky Sports.

“Whether your season is ending or your career is ending, you want to stay in one game at a time, one practice at a time, one possession at a time, and just focus on that and maximizing that, and not getting too caught up in the future.

“But you do know in the back of your mind that every possession counts. And it’ll be my last season here at UConn. But you try to just stay in the present.”