Paige Bueckers felt the same as every other college hoops fan when USC star JuJu Watkins tore her ACL in the second round of the women's NCAA tournament—only for the UConn guard, it hit a little closer to home.
Bueckers opened up about Watkins's scary moment in a Huskies media availability Friday in which she admitted she couldn't bring herself to watch the video of Watkins getting hurt.
"Just sick to my stomach," Bueckers said when asked for her reaction. "It makes me just sick and ill... I've been in that position where you have this devastating injury. She had it at a time where it's just the worst timing, and you're playing for a national championship, competing, playing with your team at the end of the season. So you just feel for her."
Bueckers also revealed she reached out to Watkins immediately after the injury and offered her prayers and support.
"We've exchanged numbers now so we're locked in, and whatever she needs mentally, physically, she needs to vent, ask questions," continued Bueckers.
Bueckers, a fifth-year senior, tore her ACL in August 2022 and missed the entire next season as a result. She didn't mince words about how difficult it was to recover from surgery and get back to an elite level, giving Watkins a brief glimpse of what she might feel over the next few weeks.
"The first week was devastation. A sense of just hurt, disappointment, a 'Why me?' sort of mentality, a lot of questions that you have that are going to go unanswered," Bueckers said. "But then your motivation, your strength, your faith, peace kicks in of 'Everything happens for a reason'... And then you know that every single day that passes by is a day closer to getting to play basketball again."
"You don't get to be as good as JuJu if you don't have a great motor, a great work ethic - she's going to attack this process just as she's attacked basketball. Disappointed for her, but know she'll be back better than ever."
— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) March 28, 2025
Paige Bueckers on JuJu Watkins' ACL injury: pic.twitter.com/xRx2kpp6zx
Bueckers left Watkins with a simple piece of advice that's much easier said than done: "Just learn to enjoy the process."
While Bueckers and Watkins won't get their long-awaited Elite Eight rematch, the UConn star is ultimately rooting for Watkins to come back stronger than before.
"You don't get to be as good as JuJu if you don't have a great motor, a great work ethic. She's going to attack this process just as she's attacked basketball... Just disappointed for her, but know she'll be back better than ever and this will just be a little setback to the great story she'll have," said Bueckers.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paige Bueckers Shared Harsh Reality for JuJu Watkins After USC Star’s Injury.
