Man accused of harassing and stalking UConn star Paige Bueckers: report

An Oregon man arrested Friday for harassing and stalking UConn basketball player Paige Bueckers appeared in Connecticut Supreme Court on Monday, according to ESPN. He is being held on $100,000 bail.

According to the report, 40-year-old Robert Cole Parmalee was arrested by University of Connecticut police. Parmalee, who was also charged with electronic stalking and disturbing the peace, began contacting Bueckers in February and sending her videos on Instagram.

Bueckers, UConn coach Geno Auriemma and all other members of the women's basketball team declined to comment on the matter, a UConn athletics spokesman said.

According to ESPN, UConn's communications department became aware of Parmalee in June after receiving emails claiming he was a member of the royal family and wanted to marry a UConn basketball player.

Parmalee was previously arrested by Connecticut State Police on Aug. 27 after he was spotted on a highway near Bradley International Airport, the closest commercial airport near the UConn campus. When he was picked up by police, he told them he wanted to meet Bueckers. At the time, there was a warrant out for his arrest in Oregon, according to ESPN. He was being held at the Hartford Correctional Center on Friday as the UConn Police Department executed its warrant.

Parmalee's next court date is scheduled for October 22 at Connecticut Superior Court in Rockville, Connecticut.

Bueckers is an All-American and the first freshman ever to be named Naismith National Player of the Year. The 2024-25 season is expected to be her last at UConn and she is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

(Photo by Paige Bueckers: Joe Buglewicz / Getty Images)