Paige Bueckers shows true colors as Geno Auriemma bans injured star from practice

UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers cheered on her teammates during the Huskies’ 81-27 win over Xavier as the 23-year-old continues to recover from a scary injury

Paige Bueckers may be sidelined for the next week due to injury, but the UConn women’s basketball star didn’t stray too far away from the action.

On Wednesday, Bueckers was all smiles during the Huskies’ pregame stretches, joking with teammates prior to UConn’s 81-27 win over Xavier. She was unable to suit up for the contest after suffering a knee sprain over the weekend.

It didn’t take long for Bueckers to fit right in with the fans in attendance at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. For the first 30 seconds of the contest, she remained standing until UConn guard Ashlynn Shad nailed a jumpshot.

Several days prior, Bueckers went down hard in the third quarter of UConn’s 83-52 victory over Villanova after Jasmine Bascoe collided with her while chasing a loose ball. The 23-year-old managed to hobble off the court under her own power, eventually making her way to the locker room. Not long after, she reappeared courtside – heading back to the Huskies’ bench while dabbing away tears.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma revealed that Bueckers escaped the harrowing incident with just a knee sprain and sore ankle – adding that she’s expected to return to team activities in about a week.

“It’s a sprain. There’s nothing torn. There’s nothing crazy about it,” he said. “Her ankle is fine. I mean, it’s sore. Don’t get me wrong. It’s like her knee got twisted a certain way. Her ankle got twisted a certain way. It was just an awkward thing. But we’re hoping that we have her back in a week.”

Though Bueckers likely can’t wait to rejoin her teammates on the court, Auriemma joked that the six-foot guard has been barred from attending team practices as she continues to recover. “We banned her from practice, so she was in the training room, and then she was looking in through the window, and that was it,” Auriemma said.

“For me, it was like Christmas Day. Everybody nodded their head ‘Yes’ when I said something. Nobody rolled their eyes. Nobody had their own team huddle and told the guys what to do that was quite different than what I said. She does these things to get on my nerves, you know, because she [knows] it bugs me.”

After missing Wednesday’s contest, Bueckers is additionally likely to be sidelined for the Huskies’ game against Georgetown on Saturday, as well as next Wednesday’s matchup versus St. John’s.

“I think she’s pissed more than anything about having to miss any time at all,” Auriemma added. “And the thing that happens, I think, to a lot of athletes, is when they’ve been through something in the past, is the fear of, ‘Do I have to go through something again?’

“That’s the initial reaction right away. Then once that’s alleviated, then, you know, she’s great. I spent a lot of time talking with her yesterday and today, and she’s great. She’s in great spirits.”

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