Before Caitlin Clark became a national sensation, Paige Bueckers was touted as the next big thing in women's college basketball.
In the now-historic 2020 recruiting class, Bueckers ranked as the No. 1 prospect according to ESPN's HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings, over Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and Clark. Before playing collegiate basketball, Bueckers had already won three gold medals with USA Basketball.
Bueckers showed off her abilities with a 40-point performance vs. Oklahoma in the Sweet 16. She is the fastest player in program history to reach 2,000 career points (102 games) and scored 1,000th in her 55th career game, which tied Maya Moore as the fastest Huskies player to reach the milestone.
Bueckers arrived in Storrs, Connecticut, in 2020, hoping to bring the Huskies their first national championship since 2016. Bueckers can immortalize herself in UConn history with two more wins. The Huskies take on No. 1 UCLA in the Final Four at 9 p.m. Friday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
While Bueckers has had a great career and is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, fans ― especially UConn women's basketball fans ― might have "What if" questions around what could have been for Bueckers' career due to the injuries she has sustained.
Here's a look at Bueckers' injury history:
Paige Bueckers injury history
Sophomore season
In her freshman season, Bueckers did not disappoint, averaging 20 points on 52.4% shooting, 5.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game. In the COVID-19-shortened season, she shot 46.4% from 3-point range in 28 games. Bueckers swept the National Player of the Year honors. Despite the shortened season, she set the freshman record for program assists with 168.
Heading into her sophomore year, the expectations for Bueckers were sky-high. However, injuries limited Bueckers to 17 games. On April 30, 2021, she underwent ankle surgery to repair an osteochondral defect, joint damage involving the bone and cartilage. She was cleared to play in October.
But her luck did not improve with injuries. She suffered a tibial plateau fracture and a lateral meniscus tear on Dec. 5 with 40 seconds remaining in a 73-54 win. She had to be carried off the court by her teammates. Bueckers returned for the NCAA Tournament, scoring 15 of her 27 points in the Elite Eight to help the ...
