Former UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers returned to Storrs two weeks ago to train with her former team. Bueckers and Connecticut Sun star Aaliyah Edwards kept in shape with coach Geno Auriemma’s team after the end of the WNBA season and before the Unrivaled League tips off in January.
Auriemma and Bueckers, who won a national championship together in April, share a famously close relationship, and clips of their banter during training went viral.
Paige Bueckers Credits Geno Auriemma for Leadership Trait
After Bueckers was invited to the senior Team USA practice in North Carolina for a training camp, Auriemma predicted that Bueckers could emerge as one of the team’s leaders. During a news conference last week, Bueckers spoke about Auriemma’s comments about her leadership potential.
“I’m trying to continue to grow as a leader every single day, and I think there’s no better leader to learn from than coach Auriemma,” Bueckers said. “I feel like I’ve had the best experience when I came in as a freshman at UConn to when I left as a fifth-year at UConn. How much I grew in that time frame, and how much I wanna continue to grow.
“The sky is the limit as I continue to find my voice and instill confidence in my teammates, holding myself and my teammates accountable. Getting everybody’s respect and building relationships with people off the court. I feel like coach has given me great tools, that’s probably where that insight is coming from to where he thinks I’ll be a great one.”
Bueckers thrived in her first season in the WNBA. She scored the most points by a rookie in WNBA history after scoring 44.0 points in the Dallas Wings’ 81-80 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks and was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Auriemma Makes Fun of Bueckers’ Presence
During a news conference on Dec. 6, Auriemma lightheartedly threw jabs at Bueckers’ presence at UConn training vis-a-vis Edwards.
“It was great to see Aaliyah, because we hadn’t seen her in a while, and she looks fantastic,” Auriemma said. “I mean, it was great to have her here… The other one is like having Dennis the Menace back on campus.
“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.”
Instead of declaring for the WNBA Draft last year, Bueckers opted to return for an extra season, and she helped to guide the Huskies and Auriemma to their first national championship in nine years, before she was picked No. 1 overall during the draft.
