Paige Bueckers reflects on her 'rewarding' journey through injury, basketball

UConn guard Paige Bueckers had a masterful performance on Monday night inside of the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. Scoring 28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks after playing in all 40 minutes of the Huskies’ 80-73 win over USC to advance to the program’s NCAA-record 23rd Final Four appearance.

The Huskies have appeared in the Final Four in 15 of the last 16 seasons, eliminated in the Sweet Sixteen of last year’s tournament in a season that Bueckers missed the entirety of after suffering from a torn ACL in August of 2022. But now that she’s returned from injury and to the mountaintop of women’s college basketball, she reflected on that journey.

“Yeah, last year was — the last couple years have been really challenging on my mental, of me finding joy outside of the game, finding joy in the process, finding joy in trials and tribulations,” Bueckers admitted. “I feel like I’ve had adversity thrown my way, but at the same time I’m super blessed. I got surgery for free, I got rehab for free. I’m surrounded by the best teammates, best coaching staff. So many people have helped me get to where I’m at today.”

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Bueckers burst onto the scene in her freshman season for UConn, taking home numerous Player of the Year awards after averaging 20 points, 5.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game.

Injuries caused her to miss some time in her sophomore season with the Huskies, appearing in just 17 games. But her season-ending injury the following year would change perspective on the game of basketball and life overall as she worked herself back to joining the team.

“Looking at the positives in life, what I do have, instead of focusing on what I don’t. Again, trying to be the best teammate I can be. It could be easy for me to sulk and be upset and just be sad about what life has thrown me this past couple years, or I could attack it with the mentality of being a leader, still being in the gym smiling, motivating people, being a leader in how I worked,” Bueckers said. “I know people saw me in the gym every single day, whether it be Pilates, rehab, in the weight room, stuff like that. So that’s motivating for other people to see, as well.”

Bueckers’ return was a strong one, achieving many of her freshman accolades once again this season like Big East Player of the Year, Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and First-Team All-American honors. Carrying her strong regular season into the NCAA Tournament where she’s averaged 28 points per game and made an impact on both ends of the floor. Tasked with guarding USC freshman sensation JuJu Watkins in Monday’s game.

“Just today was one of the most rewarding feelings I’ve ever felt in my life, just seeing where I was a year ago, today, doing individual workouts, starting to feel the basketball again, get the ball in my hands again and play. Now I’m here with my teammates and coaching staff and going to the Final Four,” Bueckers said.

“It’s been a very rewarding journey. I’m super, super grateful for it all. The tough times made me who I am. It’s built my faith. It’s built my appreciation for life and gratitude for anything that gets thrown my way.”

Bueckers will look to continue her impressive bounce-back season on Friday, as she and the Huskies will take on Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes at 9:00 p.m. ET.