Bueckers Named Wooden Award All-American

LOS ANGELES—Freshman Paige Bueckers, a standout player for the UConn Huskies all season, was named to the 2021 John. R Wooden Award All-American Team, as announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club Friday. The five student-athletes named to the team are finalists for the 2021 John R. Wooden Award.

Bueckers, a 5-11 guard from Hopkins, Minn., leads Connecticut with 19.9 points and 6.0 assists per game as well as a 46.7 three-point field goal percentage. She was selected as an AP First Team All-American, BIG EAST Player of the Year, BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

 Voting took place from March 16-23, 2021. As insisted upon by Coach Wooden at the Award’s creation 44 years ago, all players were certified by their universities as meeting or exceeding the criteria of the John R. Wooden Award. The 45th annual presentation of the ,John R. Wooden Award to the women’s most outstanding college basketball player will take place on Monday, April 5, on SportsCenter on ESPN.

The other four Wooden Award All-Americans are Aliyah Boston (South Carolina), Dana Evans (Louisville), Rhyne Howard (Kentucky) and NaLyssa Smith (Baylor).

—Staff Reports

Sun Name New Trainer

UNCASVILLE—The Connecticut Sun announced today the hiring of Nicole Alexander as the team’s new head athletic trainer.

"We are excited about the addition of Nicole to our staff,” said Curt Miller, head coach and general manager. “She comes highly recommended by numerous stakeholders in the women's basketball community including USA Basketball. She has hit the ground running and has been grinding in preparation for our fast approaching 2021 season."

Alexander joins the team after spending time as an athletic trainer with the UNC Family Medicine Center at Durham and as the head athletic trainer for women’s basketball at the University of North Carolina. Prior to her time in North Carolina, she also spent five years with the University of Notre Dame as an assistant athletic trainer.

The Tallahassee, FL. native earned her undergraduate degree in exercise and sports sciences from the University of Florida in 2005. In 2008, she went on to receive a masters in exercise science at Syracuse University. At the University of Florida and Syracuse University, she served as a student athletic trainer and graduate assistant athletic trainer, respectively. Most recently, she attended the University of North Carolina where she earned a Masters of Science in Sports Administration.

Additional experience includes three years as the head athletic trainer for USA Basketball. During the summer of 2018 and 2019 Alexander served as the trainer for the U17 and U19 World Cup, respectively. In 2015, she held the head trainer position for women’s basketball at the World University Games.

Off the court, Alexander has served on several professional committees, while also being heavily involved in her community. She is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association and the Collegiate Athletic Trainers Society, as well as a Public Relations Committee member for the North Carolina Athletic Trainers Association Athletic Department Diversity Committee (NCATA). Her community involvement includes time as a Youth Ministry volunteer, a Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Facilitator and secretary of the Atlantic Coast Conference Sports Medicine Association.

“I am very excited to be a part of the Sun family,” said Alexander. “I have been given the opportunity to join a team that is at the top of their game both on the court and in the community. I can’t wait to stand side-by-side with the players and staff.”

For additional information about the Connecticut Sun, visit connecticutsun.com.

—Staff Reports

Bubba's Back!

HARTFORD—The Travelers Championship announced on Tuesday that three-time winner Bubba Watson has committed to play in 2021. Watson won the Travelers in 2010, 2015 and 2018, and will be making appearance number 15 at TPC River Highlands.

“Bubba is a fan favorite, especially here in Connecticut,” said Travelers Championship Tournament Director Nathan Grube. “Winning here for the first time has meant a lot to him and his family, and we appreciate his loyal support over the years. We’re looking forward to seeing him again in June.”

Watson is a 12-time winner on the PGA TOUR, starting with his playoff victory at TPC River Highlands in 2010. He also won in a playoff in 2015, then shot a final-round 63 to erase a six-shot deficit and win the Travelers Championship again in 2018. Only Billy Casper, with four victories, has more wins in the tournament’s history.

Watson has two major championships, winning the Masters in 2012 and 2014. He has competed on four U.S. Ryder Cup teams, two U.S. Presidents Cup teams, and participated in the 2016 Olympics.

Off the golf course, Watson has also made a big impact in Connecticut. He donated $100,000 to the Bruce Edwards Foundation for ALS Research Benefit Dinner in 2016, pledged $200,000 to The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in 2018, and most recently gave $25,000 to help rebuild Camp after a devastating fire.

“Bubba is one of the best advocates for the Travelers Championship,” said Andy Bessette, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Travelers. “Bubba has not only embraced our event, but he has embraced our community by supporting tournament charities with incredibly generous personal donations. The Watson family has become part of our extended family, and we’re happy to have them back this summer.”

Watson joins defending champion Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed in the field for the 2021 Travelers Championship, which will be held June 21-27 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.

For tournament updates, please visit TravelersChampionship.com.

—Staff Reports

SOUND TIGERS REPORT: WEEK 7

BRIDGEPORT—The Bridgeport Sound Tigers, American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, gained two points in two games last week including an overtime win against the Hartford Wolf Pack at Webster Bank Arena on Thursday.

Otto Koivula’s first goal of the season came 29 seconds into the extra frame, propelling the Sound Tigers (3-7-0-0) to a 4-3 win and their second straight victory against Hartford. Koivula skated to the doorstep and tapped home Mitch Vande Sompel’s backhand centering pass to cap a come-from-behind win and snap Bridgeport’s three-game slide. Other Islanders draft picks Simon Holmstrom, Cole Coskey and Samuel Bolduc also found the back of the net, and Ken Appleby (1-0-0) made 20 saves in his Sound Tigers debut.

Bridgeport also faced the Providence Bruins on Monday, Mar. 15, in Marlborough, Mass, and dropped a 5-2 decision to the Bruins. Tom Kuhnhackl and Cole Bardreau each scored a goal late in the third period, but Brady Lyle notched three points for the Bruins (one goal, two assists) and Simsbury native Tommy Cross had two goals.

After an eight-day layoff, the Sound Tigers willl return to action on Saturday with a 1 p.m. match-up against the Hartford Wolf Pack (3-6-1-0) at the XL Center. Fans can follow all of the live action via AHLTV or the Sound Tigers Radio Network, beginning with the pre-game show at 12:45 p.m. (All times ET.)

The Week Ahead

Saturday, Mar. 27 at Hartford -(1 p.m.): The Sound Tigers try for their third straight win against the Wolf Pack as they travel to Hartford for the first time since Feb. 7. Bridgeport leads the season series 2-1-0-0 and has won back-to-back games by a combined 9-5 margin. Samuel Bolduc has a series-high five points (three goals, two assists) and has scored a goal in all three match-ups thus far.

Tiger Bites

Otto-Matic in Overtime: Otto Koivula’s first goal, point and multi-point performance of the season helped the Sound Tigers capture in the win in their first game past 60 minutes. It was Koivula’s sixth career game-winning goal and his second in overtime, assisted by Mitch Vande Sompel and Dmytro Timashov. Ten of Bridgeport’s 16 skaters registered at least one point in the 4-3 victory.

Bolduc’s Big Start: Not only has Samuel Bolduc scored a goal in all three games against Hartford this season, but five of his team-leading seven points have come against the New York Rangers’ affiliate, including his drive rom the deep slot 65 seconds into the third period last Thursday that gave Bridgeport its first lead. Bolduc is tied for the team lead in goals (three) and assists (four), and is the outright leader in points (seven), plus-minus (+1) and shots (24). No defenseman has ever finished the season leading the Sound Tigers in scoring.

Milestone Watch: Sound Tigers captain Seth Helgeson played his 223rd game with Bridgeport last Thursday, tying Scott Mayfield (2012-17) for 11th place on the team’s all-time list and moving within three games of Sean Bentivoglio (2007-10) for 10th. Helgeson also closed within nine games of his 500th professional appearance, while fellow defenseman Parker Wotherspoon is four games shy of his 200th pro appearance.

Isles Ink Golyshev: The Islanders announced Friday that Anatolii Golyshev, their fourth-round draft pick in 2016, has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way deal for the 2020-21 season. Golyshev notched 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 53 games with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) earlier this season and ranked fifth on team in scoring. The Perm, Russia native had 208 points (103 goals, 105 assists) in 366 career games with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg over parts of eight seasons in the KHL. He is a two-time KHL All-Star (2015-16, 2016-17) and was also named KHL Forward of the Month twice.

Quick Hits: Tanner Fritz collected one assist in Thursday’s win, tying him for fourth place on the team’s all-time list (89) with Steven Regier (2004-08)… Fritz is 11 assists behind Aaron Ness (2010-15) for third place and also three points behind Trent Hunter (2001-03) for eighth place on the team’s all-time scoring list… Dmytro Timashov notched two assists on Thursday and now has three helpers in his last two games… Timashov has recorded two points in 23 different AHL regular-season games, but has never had a three-point performance… All three of Bridgeport’s wins this season have occurred in come-from-behind fashion… The Sound Tigers are tied for first in the Eastern Conference with three shorthanded goals.

Across the Sound: The New York Islanders (21-8-4, 1st place) won their second straight game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night, coming from behind to earn a 2-1 victory in overtime. Former Sound Tigers forward Oliver Wahlstrom scored his fourth goal in the last six games to tie it in the third period, while Anthony Beauvillier won it at 3:41 of overtime. Ilya Sorokin kept New York in the game from start to finish with a season-high 36 saves. The Isles are back in first place by points (two ahead of the Washington Captains) in the MassMutual East Division as they prepare for a matchup against the Boston Bruins tomorrow night.

—Staff Reports