UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers will return to school next season, bypass WNBA Draft

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UConn star women’s basketball player Paige Bueckers said she will be returning to school next season despite being eligible for the WNBA Draft. 

Bueckers, who won’t be playing during the 2022-23 season after tearing her ACL, said it was "not in question" that she would stay in Storrs, Conn. to continue playing for the Huskies and head coach Geno Auriemma. 

"I’m not leaving," she told reporters Thursday via ESPN. "That is not in question. People asked me, ‘What are you thinking about fifth year, COVID year, redshirting this year?'

"I’m not thinking too far ahead about that all. But I will be playing college basketball again."

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Paige Bueckers of the Connecticut Huskies watches warmups before a game against the Louisville Cardinals at Mohegan Sun Arena Dec. 19, 2021, in Uncasville, Conn. (G Fiume/Getty Images)

While she didn’t commit to that fifth year, she is eligible for three more seasons in college if she wishes. 

Bueckers’ ACL tear was devastating for Auriemma’s squad, a group looking to rebound from losing in the national championship game to South Carolina, 64-49. She missed 19 games last season with a plateau fracture in her tibia and a meniscus tear. 

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Bueckers was hurt during a pickup game at UConn Aug. 1. 

UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers reacts after witnessing an injury to teammate Dorka Juhasz during an Elite Eight NCAA tournament game against the N.C. State Wolfpack March 28, 2022, at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"I was