UConn’s Bueckers Plans to Return to College After ACL Injury

The junior will miss the entire 2022–23 season after tearing her ACL in early August.

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.

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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