Paige Bueckers isn't a basketball coach -- but she does play one on occasion.
Bueckers, a 5-foot-10 freshman point guard for the Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minnesota) varsity team, was out with a foot injury earlier this season, but she still found a way to help her school.
During a Hopkins freshman game, Bueckers sat on the bench next to coach Ana Garcia. But when the referee didn't hear Garcia call a timeout, Bueckers came to the rescue.
"We were having trouble in the corners," Bueckers explained. "It was getting pretty sloppy.
"[Garcia] doesn't like to get too loud. So I got up and yelled timeout. It was more of a helping thing. [Garcia] said, 'Thanks, Paige.' "
Most of the time, Bueckers helps her team on the court rather than off it. She is averaging 19.9 points, 4.9 steals, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists for Hopkins. And for someone who handles the ball as much as she does, Bueckers commits just 1.6 turnovers per game.
A straight-A student, Bueckers is a natural athlete with long arms who can jump up and grab the rim. She's the fastest player on her team. And varsity coach Brian Cosgriff said he has seen her throw a football 50 yards.
Bueckers made her varsity debut last season as an eighth-grader, helping her team reach the state final. And even though Hopkins lost to Minnetonka, Bueckers was still one of 10 players to make the state's all-tournament team.
"The announcer [on the televised broadcast of the state final] must have mentioned her name about 15 times," said her dad, Bob, who started coaching her when she was 7. "He kept saying, 'Oh my God, she's only in the eighth grade. "
Bueckers was only 5-4 a couple of years ago when she first met Bill Larson, who is now her AAU coach on the North Tartan club team. Larson won't soon forget that day when she walked into the gym.
"She had a candy bar in her left hand and was dribbling through her legs with her right," Larson said. "It's a four-court facility, and she didn't miss a stride walking from one end to the other. It was impressive."
What Bueckers is doing this season is also impressive. Hopkins is 18-0 and ranked No. 1 in Minnesota and No. 23 in the espnW 25 Power Rankings. The Royals have already avenged that loss to Minnetonka with a 77-49 win.
Cosgriff, who is in his 18th season at Hopkins and has led the Royals to six state titles, said Bueckers is a rare talent.
"I don't know if Paige will end up being the best," Cosgriff said. "But at this age (15), no one's been better. Paige is the best freshman I've ever coached."
That's saying something because Cosgriff has had terrific players through the years. The 2015-16 Hopkins team, which finished 29-3, featured two talented seniors: Nia Hollie, the Miss Minnesota Basketball star who signed with Michigan State, and Ashley Bates, now playing for Hampton.
This season, Bueckers is the leader of a young team that also starts two sophomores, one junior and one senior.
Cosgriff has seen Bueckers grow in terms of her height but also in a basketball sense. She played well last season considering she was just an eighth-grader, but she had modest numbers -- 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals -- compared to now.
"Paige was a peanut in the seventh grade, but she has grown a half-foot since then," Cosgriff said. "She's just so natural and intelligent.
"She played a ton last season and essentially won a lot of games for us. This season, she is like another assistant coach -- her basketball IQ is that high."
One of the first things scouts notice about Bueckers is her handle. She learned to control the ball so brilliantly in part because she didn't have a basket at her house.
Instead, she spent countless hours dribbling a ball in her garage.
"She embarrasses whoever guards her," said teammate Dee Dee Winston, a senior guard who has signed to play at Siena. "On the court, her demeanor is mean and nasty. She gets amped up ... she gets loud.
"But off the court, she is normal, goofy -- not cocky at all."
Bueckers can still be better by merely getting stronger.
"Paige is the best freshman I've ever coached." Brian Cosgriff
She has begun to lift weights, but there is still a long way for her to go before she hits her peak.
"I call her Olive Oyl," said Cosgriff, referring to the tall and thin cartoon character. "She's always flexing her muscles and kissing her biceps. She thinks she's Arnold [Schwarzenegger].
"She can definitely get stronger. When she does -- watch out!"
Larson said he believes Bueckers can be a McDonald's All-American, play for Team USA and be a part of the Connecticut dynasty, if she chooses.
"You can't deny the fact that she's the best player in Minnesota," Larson said. "Her first step is strong. She shoots at a high rate. Her step-back is clean. ... Paige is one of the top skilled kids I've seen as a freshman in 25 years."
Bueckers' father said it's too soon for her to be taking unofficial visits to colleges, although that may happen this summer.
Paige, who is interested in studying criminal justice, said she "loves" the University of Minnesota program but will visit out-of-state schools eventually so she can gauge what they have to offer.
As for her career beyond playing, Bueckers said she could see herself working for the FBI. Coaching is another possibility, she said, especially since the girls on the freshman team love when she's on the bench.
"I have a lot of energy -- I'm kind of entertaining when it comes to coaching," Bueckers said. "I get up and start yelling and clapping.
"It's mostly encouraging things but probably some yelling at referees. ... Right now, I think I have too much energy to be a coach. I'm afraid I'd want to get on the court in the middle of a game and forget I'm the coach."