UConn's Geno Auriemma Explains How Paige Bueckers Can Turn Teammates to Spectators
The No. 2 ranked UConn Huskies women's basketball team is finally set to start their 2024-25 regular season on Thursday when they face Boston University at home.
There is a ton of hype around this season for UConn; largely because it's expected to be the final season for superstar Paige Bueckers before she declares for the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Auriemma has gone on the record saying that Bueckers will probably go down as the best player he's ever coached to not win a national championship if the Huskies don't get it done this season.
And this is not something Bueckers wants to be remembered by.
But Auriemma isn't worried about how Bueckers will perform. He knows his team's championship hopes hinge on those around her, which he alluded to when speaking with the media on Wednesday.
"Whenever you have a player that can do those things, it's a double-edged sword," Auriemma said, per X user @babymarri11. "I think there were times early in November last year, we watched Paige play a lot, instead of alongside her. So this year, I see it where we're trying really hard to play together, and not just watch Paige be great.
"I know that's what she's gonna be," Auriemma continued. "I certainly don't want a repeat of last year's Final Four game where Paige only had a normal game... and we came up short, 'cause we didn't have enough from other people."
Auriemma then discussed how he now has other people who can do so (UConn suffered a devastating amount of injuries last season).
“now we’ve got more people this year I still want her to try and get 30 whenever she can”
— 💌 (@babymarri11) November 6, 2024
Geno on Paige’s role this season 👀 pic.twitter.com/ArtISNwyqS
What's for sure is that the women's basketball community will be watching to see whether Bueckers can lead UConn to National Championship glory before her college career ends.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.