ACL: Bueckers to miss junior season

Paige Bueckers will not be in a Huskies uniform this season. The junior tore her anterior cruciate ligament in her left leg on Monday, the same knee she recently had surgery on in December. Bueckers will have her repairment surgery on Friday.

This is the third surgery since the 2021 post-season for Bueckers. On April On April 30, 2021, she had surgery on her right ankle to repair an osteochondral defect, joint damage involving the bone and cartilage. She rolled her ankle that season against Tennessee on January 21st and missed the next game. 

Geno Auriemma was heartbroken by the news. "We're all devastated for Paige. She's worked really hard to get stronger and healthier this offseason, and this is an unfortunate setback. Paige is obviously an amazing basketball player but she's a better person and teammate and it's really unfortunate that this has happened to her. We'll miss her presence on the court, but she'll do everything she can to still lead and help her teammates this season. Our program will support Paige through her healing process to help her come back better and stronger."

"An ACL tear is a very common knee injury. It can happen to athletes who play sports like football, basketball, soccer and volleyball, and to those who work physical jobs. There are surgical and nonsurgical treatments. Most people recover from an ACL tear within six to nine months" states The Cleveland Clinic.

In the summer of 2021, Bueckers missed most of the summer training due to her ankle surgery. She was still in attendance for the summer. 

At the XL Center on December 5th, in the last minute of the game, Bueckers suffered a non-contact injury. She was dribbling the ball down the court at a normal pace when she stumbled on her left leg. She went down in front of the UConn bench in tears and was carried off the court by teammates. 

On December 13th, Bueckers had knee surgery to repair a tibial plateau fracture that would keep her off the court for 6-9 weeks. She continued to travel with the Huskies to all their road games. Bueckers' first game back was on Feb. 25th against St. Johns. She played off the bench for the Big East Tournament but regained a starting position for the NCAA Tournament.

The NCAA tournament was not easy for her. In three consecutive games, [Indiana, NC State, Stanford] Bueckers knocked her leg knee on the court going after loose balls. She continued to play most of the National Championship game with a little more ease.

The Cleveland Clinic states, "an ACL tear can happen to anyone at any age, but females are four times more likely to have an ACL tear than males. Experts have yet to agree on why females are more prone. Some think this is because of different physical conditioning, neuromuscular control, or muscle strength. Others think that it’s because of a difference in pelvis and lower leg alignment, looser ligaments, or how estrogen affects a woman’s ligaments. Differences in how women jump and land could also be a factor."