Before Paige Bueckers had played even a single minute in a single game coming off a torn ACL this past fall, Geno Auriemma made a bold statement.

“Paige is a better basketball player now than she was when she was national player of the year (as a freshman),” the coach said at Big East Media Day in October.

While that may seem like a given now, there were fair and legitimate questions surrounding Bueckers’ return. When UConn opened the season against Dayton, 584 days had passed since she last played in a real game. Bueckers didn’t just tear her ACL, either. In Dec. 2021, she suffered a tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear that sidelined her for 19 games as a sophomore.

When Bueckers finally got back for the Huskies’ opener, close to two years had passed since she’d been fully healthy during the season. Had she been exactly as good as she was as a freshman, that would’ve been an impressive feat in its own right.

Instead, Bueckers lived up to her coach’s prediction. Despite missing all that time, the redshirt junior marked her return by winning Big East Player of the Year and Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player while also being named an AP and USBWA First Team All-American.

All the while Bueckers changed positions, increased her scoring and contributed more than she ever had before.