UConn star Bueckers cleared to play after missing previous season due to ACL tear

UConn star Paige Bueckers has been cleared to play after missing the entire 2022-23 campaign due to a torn ACL, she announced on social media Wednesday.

Bueckers sustained the injury during a pick-up game just over a year ago. She returned to the court last June but wasn't a full participant in practice games.

Prior to her injury, Buckers was undoubtedly among the top players in the game. As a freshman, the former No. 1 recruit was a unanimous first-team All-American and won the Wooden Award as the most outstanding player in women's college basketball.

Bueckers missed 19 contests the following year due to a tibia plateau fracture and torn meniscus. She returned to the lineup late in the 2021-22 campaign and led the Huskies to the national championship game, where they fell to South Carolina.

The 21-year-old has averaged 18 points, 5.1 assists, 4.5 boards, and two steals over a pair of seasons in Storrs. Bueckers is widely expected to be a top selection in next year's WNBA draft.

While UConn lost Dorka Juhasz and Lou Lopez-Senechal to the WNBA this offseason, the program is expected to compete for another national title with Azzi Fudd, Aaliyah Edwards, and Nika Muhl back in the fold alongside Bueckers.