'Best she's ever been': UConn star Paige Bueckers expected to be ready for upcoming season
Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma is preparing for a healthy 2023-24 season, and he said his star guard Paige Bueckers is almost fully recovered from the torn ACL she suffered last year.
Auriemma spoke to reporters on Tuesday morning at his annual Geno for the Kids Charity Golf Tournament in West Hartford, Connecticut, and with summer workouts underway, he praised his team's health going into the new season.
UConn is coming off a 31-6 season, advancing to the Sweet 16 but seeing its streak of 14 consecutive Final Four appearances come to an end. The Huskies were marred by injuries last season, including Bueckers' pre-season injury, Ice Brady missing the entire year with a dislocated patella and Azzi Fudd missing time due to a knee injury.
"This is probably the best that we’ve been in quite some time," Auriemma said.
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'This is the best she's ever been'
Auriemma praised Bueckers for how she has embraced the recovery from the torn ACL, which forced her to miss all of last season.
"This is the best she's ever been. The strongest she's ever been. The fittest she's ever been. This is the most time she has spent working on her body, her mind, you know, just taking care of herself," he said. "I think she's way ahead and maybe that's what the year off did. It showed her if you want a long career, this is how you're going to have to go about it from here on out. Injuries or no injuries, it doesn't matter."
Last week, Bueckers said she is "very close" to being fully cleared, but isn't sure if she will participate when UConn plays exhibition games in Europe in August. Auriemma said Bueckers is about "90%" recovered but expects her to be ready for the regular season.
"If she’s not ready to go, then I’m not ready to go," Auriemma said.
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Paige Bueckers college career
It's been a college career of up and downs for the 2021 national player of the year. Aside from player of the year honors from Naismith and the Associated Press among others following her freshman year, she led the Huskies to the 2021 Final Four. In her sophomore season, she played in only 17 games due to tearing her lateral meniscus but came back to lead the Huskies the 2022 national championship game, where they fell to South Carolina. After missing all of last season with the ACL injury, Bueckers was granted an extra season of eligibility and is now a redshirt junior.