Women's Fastbreak On SI

UConn's Paige Bueckers Hilariously Ponders Geno Auriemma's Relatability With Youth

Paige Bueckers had jokes when asked about how UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma relates to her generation.
Grant Young|
Dec 15, 2024; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma watches from the sideline as they take on the Georgetown Hoyas at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Dec 15, 2024; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma watches from the sideline as they take on the Georgetown Hoyas at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma has seen it all within the world of women's basketball.

This is owed to him heading the Huskies program for the past 40 seasons. Over that time, Auriemma has coached hundreds of young women (including many of the sport's best-ever players). And with that, the 70-year-old legend has had to learn how to cater his coaching to every different type of personality he might encounter.

Despite them having an age difference of 47 years, Auriemma and his star player Paige Bueckers have cultivated a tight-knit relationship. Then again, Bueckers' loud personality has surely pushed Auriemma to the limit several times.

This might have been the case once again on February 26, when Bueckers hilariously reflected on Auriemma's relatability.

When asked how Auriemma relates to Bueckers' generation, she paused to ponder for 10 seconds before saying, "I mean, he has grandkids," per a TikTok from @storrs.central. "He's trying to be understanding, doesn't get on TikTok. Relatable to our generation... he tries to be cool, tries to learn some new slang. I remember when he called Nika [Muhl] his 'slime'. I guess he's trying to learn as much as we are."

Bueckers was then asked her first impressions of Auriemma.

"I was scared of him, I was timid," she responded. "I didn't want to say the wrong thing. During the recruiting process, I kind of walked on eggshells in a way where I was nervous to talk to him. But he's very open, honest, personable, like he has a great personality and he cares.

When Bueckers was asked how she answered the phone with Auriemma called her for the first time, she smiled and said, "What's up, Big G?" before adding that she was kidding.

We'd think that Bueckers is more willing to crack jokes about Auriemma than just about all of his other past players.

Recommended Reading:

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

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.

Share on XFollow GrvntYoung
Home/News