SI

Paige Bueckers, UConn Players Found Funny Way to Honor Geno Auriemma's Associate HC

Chris Dailey, Auriemma's associate head coach, has been with the Huskies since 1988.

Tim Capurso

UConn women's basketball guard Paige Bueckers wears a wig during a postgame media session following the program's 85-41 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on November 20, 2024.
UConn women's basketball guard Paige Bueckers wears a wig during a postgame media session following the program's 85-41 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on November 20, 2024. / Screengrab Twitter @SNYUConn
In this story:

Wednesday night was a celebration of the greatness of Geno Auriemma, who became the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history with the UConn Huskies' 85-41 win over Fairleigh Dickinson at Gampel Pavilion. But it was also a celebration of Auriemma's longtime associate head coach Chris Dailey, who has paced the sidelines alongside Auriemma since 1988, winning 11 NCAA national championships in tandem with the decorated coach.

So, it was only right that Dailey, in her 40th season in Storrs, was recognized with Auriemma, who among other things, was honored with a road sign in his name and joined at the ceremony by a live goat, in a nod to the GOAT (greatest of all time) acronym.

But UConn star Paige Bueckers, wanting to give Dailey some added recognition, went the extra mile and found a funny way to pay tribute to the longtime coach.

By wearing a wig that matches Dailey's hairstyle to the postgame media session.

When asked whose idea it was, UConn guard Azzi Fudd piped up and joked that it was hers before revealing that Bueckers came up with the plan.

"We had to get CD [Chris Dailey] bobs to celebrate her today," Fudd said.

And Bueckers and the rest of the Huskies definitely had fun with their new hairstyles during the presser.

Bueckers then capped off the amusing tribute with a funny one-liner when asked about Dailey's reaction to the wigs.

"She said we ate, but we don't eat as hard as she does," Bueckers said with a smile as freshman forward Sarah Strong and Fudd could barely contain their laughter.

Dailey, a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, has been the coordinator of UConn's relentless recruiting efforts over the years.

More of the Latest Around College Basketball

feed

Published |Modified
Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

Home/College Basketball