Paige Bueckers may have left the UConn Huskies and be playing in the WNBA, but the Dallas Wings rookie is still being watched by her former coach, Geno Auriemma. The Huskies’ head coach had a front-row seat for the Wings’ game against the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday.
The pair hugged after the game, with Bueckers saying she felt ‘weird’ to see Auriemma as a spectator rather than the one calling the shots.
“It was definitely weirder for Geno Auriemma to be a spectator and a fan,” Paige Bueckers said (via espnW’s Instagram account). “I could just hear him in the back of my mind, all the lovely things that he would have to say.”
View this post on Instagram
Dallas beat Golden State 80-71. The contest was part of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. Bueckers registered 20 points, four rebounds, and two assists for the victorious Dallas Wings.
Auriemma didn’t have a reunion only with Bueckers, but also with Valkyries rookie Kaitlyn Chen, who was picked by Golden State at No. 30. The two former UConn stars were instrumental in the Huskies’ national championship victory over South Carolina last April.
Geno Auriemma buries beef with Paige Bueckers’ teammate
On Tuesday night, Geno Auriemma and Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale buried the hatchet, as per Sports Illustrated. It was Ogunbowale who approached Auriemma before the two shared a brief handshake and a hug. Later on, the Wings star officially declared peace with the Huskies’ head coach, writing on X:
“dapped up Geno after the game. the beef is officially over 😭😂”
— Arike Ogunbowale (@Arike_O) June 18, 2025
Ogunbowale has had a running X/Twitter beef with the Huskies coach since 2014. It began after the WNBA star dropped Auriemma’s Huskies from her preferred list of schools and eventually chose Notre Dame. Auriemma had fired back, writing, “Stay tuned for my list of the 5 players I saw the past 7 days that I have zero interest in recruiting.”
This beef came to a head in 2018 when UConn and Notre Dame clashed during the Final Four. Ogunbowale led the Fighting Irish to victory before moving to the national title game. She now finds herself teammates with Bueckers.
Related: ’12 of Them!’ — UConn Star Paige Bueckers, Huskies Legend Breanna Stewart Celebrates National Title
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and baseball!
