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Mechelle VauperESPN.com
UConn Women’s Basketball Stars Paige Bookers He will miss the 2022-23 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Monday, the school announced Wednesday.
Bookers injured his knee at a pick-up basketball game and an MRI later that night confirmed a torn ACL, according to a school release. The release didn’t say where the Hopkins, Minnesota junior guard was playing when the injury occurred.
She will have surgery on Friday at UConn Health in Farmington, Connecticut. An update on her recovery schedule will be available after the procedure.
In a statement posted on her Instagram account, Buckers said she relied on her faith to move forward.
“It’s so crazy that you’re working so hard to get your health back, feeling stronger than ever, playing your best basketball, and then all of a sudden a move changes everything,” Bookers wrote. It’s hard to try to understand everything, but I can’t help but think that God is using me as a testimony to how much you can overcome when He’s on your side. A child or major surgery might need this story…because it would be a hell of a comeback.”
“Prayer and love mean so much to me, and the fear of not being able to return to where I came from may mean even more. God grant my heart a dream.” Okay, I’ll keep believing, even if I have to walk through nightmares.”
Bueckers was the 2020-21 Consensus National Player of the Year, becoming the first freshman to earn that honor and helping UConn reach the Women’s Final Four. She averaged 20.1 points, 5.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game that season.
Bookers missed 19 games last season after suffering a tibial plateau fracture and a torn meniscus in his left knee in early December, but returned to lead the Huskies to a national championship game in a loss to South Carolina. She finished the season averaging 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
“We are all devastated for Paige,” said UConn director Geno Auriema in a statement. is an unfortunate setback: Paige is clearly a great basketball player, but she’s a better person and teammate, and it’s a real shame that something like this happened to her.
“We will miss her on the court, but she will continue to lead this season and do everything she can to help her teammates. I will support Paige through her healing process to help her recover.”
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, UConn will lose its top two scorers in Christyn Williams and Evina Westbrook, and will lose 52% of its scoring power without Bueckers in its lineup next season. Huskies’ major repeaters are: Aji Fad When caroline ducharmI also had left hip surgery in April.
According to HoopGurlz, UConn also has two of its top five recruits: Ayanna Patterson (4th) and Isuneh Brady (5th).
Information from the Associated Press was included in this report.
