Paige Bueckers' Return Sparks ‘Different Vibe’ in Geno Auriemma’s Latest UConn Update
It's a little sad for women's basketball fans to not get to see legendary UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma get to interact with Paige Bueckers daily any longer, now that Paige is no longer in college and playing in the WNBA.
The great relationship between these two was always founded on humor, as Bueckers was never afraid to get under Auriemma's skin. And Geno would take any opportunity he could get to tease Bueckers.
While this has continued into Bueckers' professional career, it's not as common because the two aren't together much. However, Bueckers made her return to UConn this weekend to help the Huskies prepare for their upcoming games, including a showdown against the USC Trojans on December 13.
Geno Auriemma's Honest Paige Bueckers Admission Speaks Volumes
It appears that Bueckers is already back to earning her former head coach's ire, which was conveyed in comments Auriemma made when speaking to the media on December 6.
When Auriemma was asked about having Bueckers and former Huskies standout Aaliyah Edwards back practicing with UConn this week, Auriemma said, "I don't think there was anything special about— I mean, it was great to see Aaliyah. It was great to see Aaliyah, because we hadn't seen her in a while, and she looks fantastic. I mean, it was great to have her here," per an X post from Storrs Central.
"The other one is like having Dennis the Menace back on campus," Auriemma said of Bueckers. For reference, Dennis the Menace is a 1993 American comedy movie about a little blonde kid named Dennis wreaking havoc and causing mischief in a suburban neighborhood.
"You know what's funny is, there's just a different vibe. Even today, there's just a different vibe when [Bueckers and Edwards are] there. It's great to reminisce on a lot of things. It's great to see that they haven't changed much, and yet, it's great to see how different they are, just in the short time that they've been away," Auriemma added.
Geno Auriemma on having Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards back at practice this week:
— Storrs Central (@StorrsCentral) December 6, 2025
"It was great to see Aaliyah, cause we hadn't seen her in a while... The other one is like having Dennis the Menace back on campus." pic.twitter.com/Ycu1bw98Jq
"Like, would you be surprised if I said that every time Paige scores in practice, she has to remind everybody, 'I'm in the W now! You can't guard me now!' Okay, great." He continued before sarcastically asking the media around him, "Hey, did you guys know she was in the W?"
"So yeah, it's just a different vibe. Yeah, it's fun. It's fun. I've always enjoyed our former players coming back, because it's fun to remember who they were, and it's fun to see what they are now," he concluded.
Some things never change. And it seems that Auriemma and Bueckers' relationship is one example.
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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.
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