Superstar guard Paige Bueckers suffered a torn ACL in her left knee during a pick-up basketball game on Monday. He will be out for the upcoming season, according to a team press release. Bueckers, the former Hopkins High standout, underwent an MRI Monday afternoon to confirm the injury. He will undergo surgery Friday at UConn Health. An update on the timeline for her recovery will be shared after the procedure. “We’re all devastated for Paige,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “She’s worked really hard to get stronger and healthier this season, and this is an unfortunate setback. Paige is obviously an amazing basketball player, but she’s a better person and teammate and it’s really sad that this happened to her. “We will miss her presence on the court, but she will do everything she can to continue to lead and help her teammates this season. Our program will support Paige through her treatment process to help her return better and stronger.” The news is a huge blow to the Huskies, who were weighed down by injuries and COVID-19 issues to nearly the entire roster last season. That included Bueckers, who missed 19 games after suffering a fractured anterior tibial plateau and a torn lateral meniscus in the same left knee. He had surgery on Dec. 13, but returned to action on Feb. 25 and led the Huskies to the Final Four in Minneapolis. they lost in the championship game to South Carolina. He still led the team with averages of 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Bookers had committed to staying at Storrs over the summer to get stronger to prevent injury. “It’s so crazy because you work so hard to get back healthy, feel stronger than ever and play your best basketball and in one sudden move everything changes,” Bueckers wrote on Instagram. “It’s hard trying to make sense of it all now, but I can’t help but think that God is using me as a testimony to how much you can overcome with Him by your side. Some little kid who just tore their ACL or had major surgery might need that P story, because it’s going to be one hell of a comeback. “There will be good days and there will be bad days, but my absolute love for…
