Out After Surgery For 1.5 Years, Is Paige Bueckers Better Than Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark?
The No. 5 of the UConn Huskies suffered a dramatic ACL injury that kept her off the court for quite some time. However, she didn’t waste the offseason and followed Chef Curry’s golf passion. Even though Paige Bueckers is only 21 years old, she has already had a remarkable career making her second to none. And now, the point guard is ready to make a comeback after 1.5 years of waiting. Her return has only made the upcoming NCAA season a clash of young titans.
Bueckers has been a pioneer in the NIL ruling and has earned a substantial living through her basketball skills and social media presence. In fact, she was the first college student to strike a deal with Gatorade and was listed on the Fortune 40 under 40 list in 2022. Her brand value and basketball skills make her a dynamic star in the upcoming season.
Will Paige Bueckers outshine Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark?
Basketball players Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers are among the star-studded roster of the preseason AP women’s All-America squad this year. These exceptional players, who all have unique talents, are going to have a big impact on the next collegiate women’s basketball season.
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are the reigning NCAA champions, posing a formidable challenge to UConn’s Bueckers. Reese and Clark have eclipsed Paige in terms of NIL valuation, owing to her 1.5-year absence from the court during her recuperation. These two had previously been accepted into the NCAA.
But Bueckers seems to catching up. She signed a NIL agreement with Ibotta, a mobile app maker. This is consistent with recent agreements signed by prominent female athletes. Buecker’s marketing team had to work heroic hours to catch up to the other athletes. However, Paige’s dominance in basketball remains undiminished. ESPN’s mock draft encapsulates everything. She was chosen second overall, ahead of Angel Reese, while Caitlin Clark was chosen first. She earned the top two despite only playing basketball for 1.5 years, which illustrates her mastery of her art.
Paige has averaged 21.0 points per game, 9.2 assists, 5.2 steals, and 5.1 rebounds. Bueckers may have had a strong season if it weren’t for her ACL injury, but fans will have to wait until the season starts to find out who will be the NCAA queen this year.
Paige’s dreadful ACL injury
Bueckers tore her ACL while playing a pick-up game on August 2, 2022. According to the UConn Blog, she was racing at full speed when she attempted to come to a complete stop, but her left leg gave out unexpectedly, and she heard a crack. She could see right away that it was a major injury. Bueckers had an MRI that same night since the initial tests did not indicate the full degree of her injuries. Doctors verified that Bueckers had ruptured her ACL in her left knee, causing her to miss the whole season.
However, she has recovered and is ready to resume her basketball career. Despite not taking part in the UConn European tour at the time, the 5-foot-11 point guard claimed on social media that she was permitted to participate in August. When questioned about her rehabilitation, she stated, “I’m in a really good place physically and mentally. Still sort of getting the rust off. I haven’t played in over a year, so it’s going to take some time to adjust and get my rhythm and flow back. But super excited for practice to start, for games to be in the distance in which we can see, and just super excited to be on the court.”
Her comeback has only made the upcoming season dynamic and has challenged the dominance of the duo known for “You can’t see me” antics.
