“I don’t even look at Paige [Bueckers]”: Geno Auriemma recalls stopping himself from “ripping” UConn star to shreds like he used to with Diana Taurasi

UConn coach Geno Auriemma has always had to adapt his coaching style to stay successful in the NCAA for four decades now. Being the head of the Huskies coaching staff from 1985 to now, Auriemma has seen himself become more reserved whenever his players commit mistakes as opposed to ripping them off in the early stages of his career.

This is what he detailed in an episode of What Drives Winning named "The Psychology of Feedback" released on Sunday. At one point, Auriemma discussed how he just didn't glance at now fourth-year star Paige Bueckers when she had a lapse unlike when he used to howl at WNBA legend Diana Taurasi for doing the same.

He recalled a specific Bueckers mistake during the Elite 8 game between UConn and NC State in 2022 where the former was up by three in overtime with six seconds left and the latter had possession.

"We were playing a Final 8 game. We're in overtime. Kid (Opponent) comes off the screen. Paige is taught (to) lock in, chase. Paige thinks she has a better idea (and) decides to shoot the gap. She misses the ball by this much. Kid makes a three at the buzzer. Now, we're going into double overtime," Auriemma said in a play-by-play of the sequence (14:39)

The 11-time national title coach then acted out how he was charging at his players when the horn sounded, but was stopped when assistant coach Jamelle Elliott held his belt. Auriemma shared that Elliot reminded him to not do it, which was to scold his players even though he said wouldn't do it.

"The old days, that would've been a whole timeout of me ripping Diana to shreds to the point where we just wasted an entire timeout," Auriemma said. (15:15)

But he has since changed his ways, explaining:

"Timeout comes, I don't even look at Paige. I talk to the entire team what we're going to do during the first couple of possessions of the second overtime defensively (and) on offense. Everybody in, we won the game. We go to the Final Four. That would've been a completely different scenario back in the day" (15:37)

As it stands today in the 2024-2025 season, Geno Auriemma's UConn is looking poised to make another run at the national championship with an undefeated 8-0 record.

Geno Auriemma calls Paige Bueckers the 'biggest whiner in America'

Geno Auriemma called Huskies star Paige Bueckers the "biggest whiner in America" last Thursday on his show at Fox Sports 97-7. This is while discussing the team's lack of free throws.

"That’s always a point of emphasis, to get to the free throw line. Paige is the biggest whiner in America because she feels she doesn’t get the calls that she deserves. So she goes in there, throws up something crazy and it goes in. Then she wants to know why she didn’t get a foul call," Auriemma said.

Per NCAA.com, Connecticut currently ranks 350th out of 353 teams in Division I in terms of free throws per game with 10.0. Bueckers leads the team with 24 out of the 80 free-throw attempts.

This year, the 23-year-old standout is averaging 18.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.8 steals a game and is looking like another WNBA star in the making from Auriemma's alumnae.

Aiming to reclaim the NCAA national championship after years of letting it slip away, UConn will have to face Hannah Hidalgo and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on their home floor next on Thursday.