Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts praised Dallas Wings superstar Paige Bueckers after her performance on Monday.
Tibbetts witnessed Bueckers’ talent firsthand during their stint together at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. Tibbetts served as an assistant coach for Team USA, while the 6-foot guard was one of its stars. Together, they helped lead the national team to its fifth straight World Cup gold medal.
Then, a week later, they faced each other in the WNBA. Tibbetts and the Mercury welcomed the Wings on their home floor at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Despite a strong performance from Bueckers, who finished with 30 points, five rebounds, and seven assists, the Mercury secured a close 87-86 win.
In his postgame interview, Tibbetts had strong words for Bueckers.
“I was just blown away by her approach, her confidence, her work,” Tibbetts said. “I just love how she carries herself. The game of basketball really matters for her.
“She kinda had an injury pop up in the gold medal game. She was giving me a hard time because I was sitting next to her [and] she wanted to get in the game. And I was telling her that we were helping her for herself and that she had big basketball in front of her with the playoffs.”
Tibbetts also expressed his confidence in Bueckers’ long-term future in the WNBA.
“She knows how to play,” Tibbetts continued. “You can tell that she’s been very well coached at UConn.
“… She competes at the defensive end; she’s gotten stronger; she’s gonna be a great player for a long time in our league.”
Tibbetts and the Mercury will wrap up their season on Thursday, hosting the Las Vegas Aces in front of the home fans. They have already been eliminated from playoff contention.
Bueckers and the Wings, meanwhile, are looking to improve their seed heading into the postseason. They are currently seventh with a 26-17 record and just one game remaining in their schedule. Dallas will face the Seattle Storm on Wednesday.
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