UConn kicks off the season with a devastating update

UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers suffered a cruciate ligament tear in a pickup basketball game and will miss the 2022-23 women’s season.

The 2021 Player of the Year, who missed much of last season through injury, will have no chance to avenge UConn’s loss of the national title game next season.

paige Bucker tore his cruciate ligament this week, UConn announced Wednesday and will miss the 2022-23 season as a result.

It all happened while she was playing a pickup basketball game on Monday. An MRI confirmed the damage.

Paige Buecker injury: UConn star for the season in devastating update

“We are all devastated for Paige” said head coach Geno Aurriemma in a statement. “She’s worked really hard to get stronger and healthier this offseason and it’s an unfortunate setback. Paige is obviously a great basketball player, but she’s a better person and a better teammate, and it’s really unfortunate that this happened to her. We will miss her presence on the pitch but she will do whatever it takes to guide and help her teammates this season. Our program will support Paige in her healing process so she comes back better and stronger.”

Buckers won nearly every player of the year award possible after her stellar freshman season and helped lead UConn to the Final Four.

She underwent ankle surgery ahead of her second campaign and ran into further injury troubles when she fractured her tibia in December. After successful rehab, she returned to the lineup ahead of the NCAA tournament and pushed her team to the championship game against South Carolina.

Although the Huskies lost that game, optimism was high for next season as Bueckers would be perfectly healthy and ready to lead the charge again. Instead, she was hit by another unfortunate seizure.