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UConn’s Paige Bueckers Says She Will Play College Basketball After Injury
UConn star Paige Bueckers tore her ACL in early August, causing her to miss the entire upcoming 2022–23 season.
As the college basketball season approaches, fans begin questioning whether the junior will enter the WNBA draft at the end of the season, rather than return to continue her college career with the Huskies.
Bueckers was asked about her plans for the future on Thursday, during her first media session since the injury.
“I’m not leaving,” Bueckers said, via Hartford Courant’s Lila Bromberg. “I will be playing college basketball again.”
This is good news for UConn and college basketball fans as Bueckers is one of the biggest names in the sport right now. Her response makes it sound like she definitely plans to play for the Huskies as a senior next year.
Paige Bueckers is speaking with media for the first time since tearing her ACL.
— Lila Bromberg (@lilabbromberg) September 1, 2022
She joked that she is taking over as a an extra UConn coach.
Paige says she’s taking things day by day, but re the 2023 WNBA Draft: “I’m not leaving … I will be playing college basketball again.” pic.twitter.com/mJSksYxDAp
The 20-year-old also noted that she’s taking it day-by-day in terms of her recovery. She underwent ACL surgery on Aug. 5, and she will continue to be evaluated by the UConn medical staff throughout her recovery.
Bueckers’s absence is a huge blow to Huskies’ lineup. The team were hoping to get their star guard back on the court this season after she missed significant time last year due to a tibial plateau fracture. In 17 games last season, Bueckers averaged 14.6 points and four rebounds per game.
As a freshman, Bueckers took center stage within the women’s college basketball landscape. As the ’21 AP Player of the Year and Naismith College Player of the Year, Bueckers averaged 20 points, 5.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game. She was also a unanimous first-team All-American. She missed significant time as a sophomore in 2021–22 with a tibial plateau fracture and meniscus tear, which required surgery.
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Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.