WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers and Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel sat together for a Q&A with fans on the ‘What Drives Winning’ show. One of the questions that was asked to both Bueckers and Gabriel was, “How do you deal with a resistant teammate?” In essence, it’s a fair question since not every locker room can be all moonlight and roses. Both Bueckers and Gabriel gave instances from their experiences, dealing with teammates who could sort of trouble.
Dillon Gabriel gave an example involving Treshon Holden, with whom he was teammates at Oregon in 2023. Gabriel highlighted how Holden can be “very resistant sometimes” and can be his “own worst enemy”. Gabriel recalled one particular incident that could explain his perspective,
“Treshon’s very resistant, sometimes his own worst enemy. But he’s also the most loving guy. But he’s a guy who got caught in 4K as we’d say now. He spit on another player and got kicked out.”
Gabriel then said how he would spend more time understanding Holden, especially during tough times in his career. That’s how he was able to get closer and was soon about to grab dinner with him as well!
Paige Bueckers also agreed with Dillon Gabriel’s point. She said,
“I think you have to get to know people personally. Get to know what makes them ‘them’, get to know their childhood. Everything is like a stem from your childhood. Seeing what people have been through, seeing what makes them go, why they react to certain things in certain way, how you can best talk.” (0:20)
For Bueckers as well, it was this connection with her teammates that made her go a long way during her college years at UConn. She further added how it is important for teammates to have tough conversations and hold each other accountable in certain manners. If a teammate isn’t responding to another player’s advice, it has nothing to do with the player themselves.
Bueckers highlighted one of her own experiences with her UConn teammate, Jana El-Alfy, to highlight such an instance. During Ramadan, El-Alfy had to wake up early in the morning and for Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal before fasting the entire day. Of course, fasting through the day for an athlete could be extremely tedious, especially when they’re trying to find the energy during games and practice. Bueckers took it upon herself to make El-Alfy not feel alone during this time.
“I took it upon myself to be there for her. I feel like when you’re going through something alone, it’s much harder than going through it with somebody. So, getting up with her at 4 or 5 AM in the morning, cooking her eggs, eating with her, just to have that shared experience that she’s not going through this alone and she has somebody to go through it together,” Bueckers added.
Bueckers also pointed out how the two would also hold each other accountable during practice and in games so that they still performed at the highest level as professional athletes.
Sometimes, locker room drama can break teams and dynasties apart. It separates players from their winning ways, which in turn becomes detrimental for teams. Teammates holding each other accountable and supporting each other is the best way of finding out how good a team’s chemistry actually is.
Paige Bueckers Included Alongside Caitlin Clark for Team USA Basketball National Training Camp Roster
We might get to see some much-anticipated action with Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers on the same team. Clark and Bueckers were named to the Team USA basketball national training camp roster, right ahead of the 2026 FIBA World Cup in Berlin.
After missing out on the Paris 2024 Olympics roster, Clark will be returning to the senior national team. Besides Clark and Bueckers, Coach Kara Lawson has also included five Olympic gold winners – Jackie Young, Brittney Griner, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Kahleah Copper.
The senior national team camp will be held at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, between 12-14 December. It will also mark the debut of Cameron Brink, Veronica Burton, Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, Rickea Jackson, and Angel Reese in the senior national team. Team USA will look to defend their FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup medal from 4 to 13 September 2026.
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