UConn's Paige Bueckers is expected to be OK for the start of the season | Page 3 | The Boneyard

UConn's Paige Bueckers is expected to be OK for the start of the season

oldude said:
Well you’re probably correct since Geno says she’s better than ever….
Expand ...
Geno hasn’t seen her play a game yet… because she hasn’t played. No one knows how long it will take her to adjust in games until she plays. That’s Kia’s point, it’s more than just physical recovery and getting your skills back, there’s a big adjustment to returning to play in a game.
 
UConnCat said:
Paige is way ahead of where Kia was at 11 months post-surgery. Way ahead.

Athletes' bodies are different and not all ACL tears are the same. I trust what Geno and Paige tell us rather than some uninformed poster who tends toward the negative.
Expand ...
Kia was also 11 months post surgery almost a year ago. She’s now 20-21 months post surgery and adjusting playing in games.

Some played recover quickly and like both has happened. But some take nearly two years to get to where they were pre-injury. No one knows how Paige will be and either way will be ok.
 
UConnCat said:
Paige is way ahead of where Kia was at 11 months post-surgery. Way ahead.

Athletes' bodies are different and not all ACL tears are the same. I trust what Geno and Paige tell us rather than some uninformed poster who tends toward the negative.
Expand ...
I absolutely agree. But we do have numerous “would be” physicians here on the BY, many of whom lean towards the Dark Side.

One week ago Friday I had my left knee scoped to clean out a torn meniscus, among other things. I started PT on Sunday, stationary biking on Monday, cut the lawn on Tuesday and so on….and I’m not remotely close to Paige’s level of fitness or her commitment.
 
hoopsnloops32 said:
Geno hasn’t seen her play a game yet… because she hasn’t played. No one knows how long it will take her to adjust in games until she plays. That’s Kia’s point, it’s more than just physical recovery and getting your skills back, there’s a big adjustment to returning to play in a game.
Expand ...
Kia is Kia. Paige has come back from injury before and been spectacular. I expect nothing less from her this time.
 
.-.
I hope everyone on the BY understand that several different outcomes are possible: some players never really come back, some come back 100% but it takes longer than 1 year, some come back within a year as good or better than ever. There are multiple examples of each outcome.

I sincerely hope Paige falls into that last category. Her determination is going to help. After her first injury, which was pretty serious, she came back, played hard, even though she was something less than 100%. I anticipate this badass attitude this time around too. Fingers crossed.
 
oldude said:
I’m perfectly happy if Paige saves her best for March…:)
Expand ...
I’m not gonna say what a lot of us are thinking … oh heck, it’s a darn good thing Nika is ready to start at pg and lead this team.

I think at this point Paige understands rehab reality better than anyone. She rehabbed from ankle surgery two summers ago and may have comeback too hard. Then the ND game happened. She personally torched the Irish in that game and it cost her… but they pissed her off.

Then she rehabbed from that surgery and came back hobbled but carried the team to the NC game. And then over the summer she played too hard trying to get over what must have been a bitter disappointment and it cost her an entire season.

In that last presser at the GHO — I know that’s not exactly the name anymore :) — Geno said two things. 1) Paige looks stronger than ever right now and 2) she is much smarter about rehab and practices in general. If I recall the line correctly it was something like she doesn’t try to go 110% in every practice anymore and he hopes the others follow her example.

I have every expectation that in the November-December games, Nika will play like she’s been “fired out of a cannon” so Paige and Azzi won’t have to. Nika Aaliyah Ayanna Aubrey will bring the fire until January. I won’t be surprised if Geno limits those two to 20 mins/g each.

It will be like making a lasagne. You take your time preparing the sauce and the pasta, get the meat and cheese ready, assemble the whole… and then you put it all in the oven and turn up the heat!
 
Bone Dog said:
I’m not gonna say what a lot of us are thinking … oh heck, it’s a darn good thing Nika is ready to start at pg and lead this team.

I think at this point Paige understands rehab reality better than anyone. She rehabbed from ankle surgery two summers ago and may have comeback too hard. Then the ND game happened. She personally torched the Irish in that game and it cost her… but they pissed her off.

Then she rehabbed from that surgery and came back hobbled but carried the team to the NC game. And then over the summer she played too hard trying to get over what must have been a bitter disappointment and it cost her an entire season.

In that last presser at the GHO — I know that’s not exactly the name anymore :) — Geno said two things. 1) Paige looks stronger than ever right now and 2) she is much smarter about rehab and practices in general. If I recall the line correctly it was something like she doesn’t try to go 110% in every practice anymore and he hopes the others follow her example.

I have every expectation that in the November-December games, Nika will play like she’s been “fired out of a cannon” so Paige and Azzi won’t have to. Nika Aaliyah Ayanna Aubrey will bring the fire until January. I won’t be surprised if Geno limits those two to 20 mins/g each.

It will be like making a lasagne. You take your time preparing the sauce and the pasta, get the meat and cheese ready, assemble the whole… and then you put it all in the oven and turn up the heat!
Expand ...
Except with all of our big early season games, you might want to use a microwave to speed it up! Ha!
 
Bone Dog said:
I have every expectation that in the November-December games, Nika will play like she’s been “fired out of a cannon” so Paige and Azzi won’t have to. Nika Aaliyah Ayanna Aubrey will bring the fire until January. I won’t be surprised if Geno limits those two to 20 mins/g each.

It will be like making a lasagne. You take your time preparing the sauce and the pasta, get the meat and cheese ready, assemble the whole… and then you put it all in the oven and turn up the heat!
Expand ...
Or, to build on Geno's music analogy: Nika, Aaliyah, Ayanna, and Aubrey will be Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny, and Marky (the Ramones who always played fast), and Paige and Azzi will be Walter Becker and Donald Fagan (Steely Dan, who always played smooth).
 
.-.
Jokerman619 said:
Would like all to come back and get back to back National titles. And to go out with more credibility. Just a nice thought.
Huskies Forever.
Expand ...
We have the talent to make a thunderous run this year. I can't wait to see them firing on all cylinders again.
 
cabbie191 said:
Though I’m leery about NIL’s long term impact on college athletics, at least in this instance I’m grateful for it because it seems to remove or lessen a financial incentive for Paige, and perhaps others, to leave after this coming season.
Expand ...

The Biggest NIL Earners in Women’s Sports From 2022​

In the era of college athletes cashing in, women seem to be quickly benefiting from the chance to monetize while in the college spotlight. It’s been almost 18 months since the NCAA adopted its name, image and likeness policy, with 2022 being the first full year student-athletes have been able to profit off their personal brand.

Through November 2022, according to NIL marketplace and tech company Opendorse, football and men’s basketball were the top-earning sports, followed by women’s basketball, women’s volleyball and softball. While the majority of college athletes are not making anything close to a real salary, a few in women’s sports have seen some major pay days. Here are some of the biggest deals from 2022.

 
I think the tricky bit for WCBB athletes and NIL is that they are actually in a competitive spotlight. Lots of influencers make money just on their own carefully crafted images. If they can collect a few million followers, they make money regardless of their sport. The top few on the list SI has are like this.

Take the Cavinders for example. At Fresno St their games were barely covered. But the fact that they were D1 athletes was part of the image they’d come up with. Then they transferred to Miami and their games were covered and they even showed up in a major tournament run. This should have been huge for their monetizing, but it actually didn’t help them and may even have cost them a bit. The problem was now they were real players whose performance could be examined by fans. They turned out to be pretty good players, but not great players.

Compare this to Paige, who also came to NIL with an existing following. But she also had huge coverage at UConn. When her actual performances on the court were in national TV she was awesome, even heroic. Her NIL contracts increased because of her play being covered nationally.

This is one important distinction to make. Some athletes are merely influencers who also play a sport. Others are heralded as great athletes and NIL deals seek them out.

And not all great athletes have had similar success. Angel, Caitlin, Hailey Van Lith, Flau’jae, these are all great players, but they haven’t all benefited equally from their presence in social media. Paige may have outearned all of them in a year in which she didn’t play at all. Just the memory of her play and the expectation of her return was enough. This is the other side of the equation — it’s not enough to be a great player. You also have to have the sort of charisma that plays well on social media, and they don’t all have it.
 
oldude said:
I absolutely agree. But we do have numerous “would be” physicians here on the BY, many of whom lean towards the Dark Side.

One week ago Friday I had my left knee scoped to clean out a torn meniscus, among other things. I started PT on Sunday, stationary biking on Monday, cut the lawn on Tuesday and so on….and I’m not remotely close to Paige’s level of fitness or her commitment.
Expand ...
But do you have any college eligibility left?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
168,190
Messages
4,556,250
Members
10,441
Latest member
Virginiafan


Top Bottom