“A menace and her coach”: UConn basketball drops cheeky post of Paige Bueckers and Geno Auriemma
Paige Bueckers and her UConn coach Geno Auriemma have cultivated a close and familial relationship over the years. This upcoming season is most likely the last time the dynamic duo will be seen on the court together. Bueckers has already shown her intentions to declare for the 2025 WNBA draft.
On Friday, the school's X/Twitter account dropped a cheeky post encapsulating the duo's bond. Bueckers and Auriemma attended the annual Big East Media Day at Madison Square Garden this week.
The post included two pictures of them sharing a stage in one of the media day interviews where Bueckers was beaming at her coach.
"A menace and her coach," the UConn team account stated in the caption.
Besides Paige Bueckers, her fellow teammates Azzi Fudd, Sarah Strong and Ashlynn Shade also attended the Media Day in New York.
UConn's Instagram account also shared a few snaps from the event showcasing the Huskies including coach Geno doing an interview.
Auriemma will enter his 40th season at Connecticut this season. He has led the Huskies to a record 11 national championships, the most among NCAA basketball coaches.
Paige Bueckers and Geno Auriemma both aiming for a common goal - a national championship
For Paige Bueckers, this season is the one final shot at winning the coveted NCAA title. She came close in her sophomore year, and she guided the Huskies to the Final Four last season.
The pressure has already mounted on Bueckers with only a few weeks left before the new campaign starts.
"It’s so easy to get caught up in wanting to win a national championship so bad that you get so caught up in that and you’re not worried about winning today," Bueckers said on Media Day.
"You can’t win a national championship overnight. You win it in October, November, December, and all the habits that you build up until that point."
Coach Auriemma shares the same goal. He acknowledges the responsibility that comes with leading a program with such high expectations.
“You look at our Final Four last year and how we got there and that we were two points away from playing in the national championship game. That was a testament to just how much that kid [Paige] can do for a program, a team, and how far she can take you," Auriemma said.
"Putting a player like Paige on your team, automatically makes you a national championship contender," Auriemma concluded.
Paige Bueckers won her second Big East Player of the Year the previous season averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game.