It's official: UConn's Buck will redshirt

Storrs – It was confirmed Tuesday by UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma that freshman Heather Buck will sit out the season and apply for a medical hardship waiver following a bout with mononucleosis.

Buck, a 6-foot-3 center from Stonington High School, has not played a game for top-ranked UConn and has been slow to recover from her illness.

She said she discussed the redshirt option with her mother after the topic was broached by Auriemma earlier in the month and Buck agrees with Auriemma that, while disappointing, the move will be best for her in the future.

“Yeah, you want to come in and play, but it’s not like you’re losing the year entirely,” Buck said. “Hopefully it will result in a higher quality of playing. That’s the point.”

Buck is still allowed to travel and to practice with the team.

She is the former two-time Connecticut Gatorade Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year, The Day’s three-time Player of the Year and Stonington’s all-time leading scorer.