Paige Bueckers is one of the best players in women’s college basketball this season. Now in her final season, Bueckers hopes to end her collegiate career with a championship win, with the Huskies considered one of the strongest contenders entering March.
Paige Bueckers Reflects on Geno Auriemma Ahead of NCAA Tournament
Ahead of the much-anticipated NCAA Tournament, Bueckers was asked what she thought of head coach Geno Auriemma during her freshman season in an Instagram video that was posted on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
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She said, “I was scared of him. I was timid. I was like, didn’t want to say the wrong thing, didn’t want, like during the recruiting process, I just wanted to be, like walked on eggshells in a way. I was nervous to talk to him.”
“But he is very open and honest. Personable, great personality, and he cares. He has a great heart, and, yeah, I think honest is the best thing to say.”
Geno Auriemma Speaks About ‘Love and Hate’ Relationship With Paige Bueckers
In his 40 years as UConn women’s basketball head coach, Auriemma has produced some of the greatest players to ever play the game. It is tough to imagine he would have a “love and hate” relationship with Bueckers, who has led in both scoring and assists with the program.
In an X (formerly Twitter) post from @ForGoodAri on Feb. 26, Auriemma spoke about his relationship with the fifth-year guard.
This man is so unbelievably moody when it comes to Paige, I can’t pic.twitter.com/8PwHnrEKG6
— yapyap (@ForGoodAri) February 26, 2025
“My relationship with Paige, it’s one of those where love and hate, I guess they call it, right? I love it when I hate her, and she loves when she hates me,” he said.
“Because that means we’re both on the right track. There’s something I want her to do, and she’s arguing with me about it, there’s something that she wants, and I’m not letting her do it. So our relationship on the court is I’m constantly b******* about something I want her to do, she’s wanting to do things that she wants to do, and so we’re always going back and forth.”
KEEP READING: Bueckers Reveals What Diana Taurasi Said After Breaking UConn Record
Auriemma also said that the relationship dynamic works because Bueckers wanted to stretch the boundaries as much as she could while he wanted her to grow as a player and prepare for what was coming next.
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