Best Wishes To Paige Bueckers

Our the years, we’ve been impressed with a lot of women’s basketball stars. The first time we saw Duke’s Alana Beard, in Card Gym, she was an absolute blur. Couldn’t believe it.

Charlotte Smith, when she won the title for UNC, was fantastic. Skylar Diggins blew us away. And of course UConn has just been ridiculous. Geno Auriemma has brought in star after star and turned UConn into the women’s version of UCLA.

In the end though it could turn out that Paige Brueckers could be the best of them all.

She benefits from a number of things. The game has evolved, training has improved and science applies to nutrition, among other things.

Even the shoes are better.

We were thrilled to watch her last season. She has a lot of physical talent, which you obviously have to have, but when you pair that with a keen and imaginative basketball mind and a passion for greatness, you have something special.

So like a lot of people, we were really sorry to see her suffer a knee injury recently.

She’s had surgery and will miss at least two months.

Actually that’s an improvement too. When Bernard King blew his knee out in 1985, he had to get ligaments from a cadaver and it took him two years to get all the way back. And though he adapted he was never fully the same.

She shouldn’t have to go through anything like that. The rehab and training techniques are so good that her knee should be stronger when she’s fully recovered. It’s a detour, not a setback.

And that’s a good thing because her destination is greatness. We look forward to her return and where she takes the game.