SPOKANE, Washington — That monster game by Paige Bueckers wasn’t just big for UConn.
It was big for JuJu Watkins and USC.
Bueckers dropping 40 points in the Sweet 16 on Saturday night is a reminder that ACL injuries don’t have to diminish star players. That you can not only come back, you can come back better.
“I do think it will be a source of inspiration for JuJu to see someone like Paige literally go through a similar thing, at about the same point in their careers, and come out the other side,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said Sunday.
“Now obviously, we're hoping that Monday night is not the showcase for that. We're going to try and, you know, limit her to less than 40,” Gottlieb added. “But I think JuJu can see in real-time somebody that is thriving post-knee injury.”
Knee injuries are not uncommon in women’s basketball. Or women’s sports, for that matter. In this NCAA tournament alone, Bueckers, UConn teammate Azzi Fudd and Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles had their careers disrupted by torn ACLs.
That frequency doesn’t make them any less devastating or the rehab any less arduous.
“The toughest part was mentally,” Fudd said. “As an athlete, we know how to get through the hard stuff physically. Every day in practice is hard, during the season is hard, lifting is hard. So for me, it was mentally and just trying to figure out — trying to be in a good place that I can find positives in this rehab process when the only thing I want to do is be on the court with my team and playing.”
But knowing others have gone through it, and seeing them have success, can make a world of difference.
“I drew a lot of inspiration from my teammates, from people who came back from major injuries,” said Bueckers, who has already reached out to Watkins to offer her support. “Looking at them as a blueprint and a how-to and knowing their story, their journey, and how they came back from it and using it as an inspiration to what I wanted to accomplish.”
And no one is better to serve as a blueprint and inspiration for Watkins than Bueckers.
Their injuries occurred at similar points in their careers. Bueckers blew out her ACL the August before her junior season. Watkins, who
Topics in this Story
