Geno Auriemma lauds Paige Bueckers' approach to fitness over the years at UConn, highlights importance of taking care of oneself
The UConn Huskies, coached by Geno Auriemma, are pulling out all the stops to win it all in the 2024-2025 season. On Monday, the second-seeded team in Spokane Regional 4 trounced the first-seeded USC Trojans by 14 points, 78-64, in their Elite Eight matchup of this year's national tournament.
As Auriemma's team prepares for the NCAA Final Four, he was recently asked during his media availability on Thursday about the transformation his graduating star, Paige Bueckers, has made towards taking care of one's body, through which he detailed how important it is.
"Oh, yeah. Every high school player that comes to college, and I don't know how it is in other places but when it comes to Conneticut, after their freshman year, they understand if I don't make some changes, it's not going to work out for me here. A lot of that has to do with how do you take care of your body, the sleep that you need, the nurition," Auriemma said. (0:30)
Auriemma then detailed how Bueckers' body recovery, on and off the court, has improved. He also mentioned WNBA legend Breanna Stewart and her 'unhealthy' breakfast choice.
"With Stewie, Skittles is not, forget what you might think, Skittles is not a healthy breakfast, you know. Working out and working out smart are two different things. What do you do when you're not working out is just as important as what you do when you're working out. What do you do when you're not at school, and there's not someone there," he explained. (0:55)
"I see Paige now on her own like I'll walk into the fitness room in the hotel and she'll be there by herself with a mat, you know, doing what she knows she needs to do. Freshman year, freshman year, Paige was in the gym every single minute of every day. One day I walked in there, she had her pajama bottoms on, flip flops, and she's out there shooting," Auriemma added.
The Huskies are set to face the top seed overall in the UCLA Bruins on Friday at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, for their Final Four matchup, with the winner earning the right to compete for the national championship.
Paige Bueckers has since become the UConn Huskies third all-time leading scorer
Ever since she burst onto the college basketball scene, it was clear that Paige Bueckers was going to be the cornerstone of the team moving forward.
Despite garnering major injuries in 2022 and 2023, the senior has managed to become the storied program's third all-time leading scorer with 2,406 points. There is optimism that Bueckers could've been in the lead already if it weren't for her setbacks.
Still, the Hopkins, Minnesota native has shown immense development throughout her tenure. On her fourth and likely final year with the UConn Huskies, Bueckers is averaging a team-high 20.1 points, to go along with 4.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.1 steals per contest.