Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers can show the way for women’s basketball, claims Geno Auriemma

UConn coach Geno Auriemma claimed that Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers have shown up-and-coming women's basketball players how to make it big at the collegiate level.

During an episode of "Make A Difference with Phil Martelli," 11-time national champion coach Auriemma believes that though Clark and Bueckers opened the doors for a new era in women's college basketball, more players should step up and continue what they've started.

"What they (Clark and Bueckers) do is they show you the way. They show you what's possible and then, the people that run the operation have to now capitalize on it. And then the younger generation, the high school people, have to prepare these kids so that when they get to college, we have something good to work with," Auriemma said (32:38)

"And then we send them up to the WNBA and then they have something good to work with and it just keeps growing and growing and growing so it still comes back to those of us that are in charge of the game," he added (32:56)

Auriemma compared the current rise of women's basketball to the rise of men's basketball in the 1960s and 1970s, when there were lots of great basketball players emerging from playgrounds.

They paved the way for stars like Bill Walton, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan to rise and create a new era of men's basketball.

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Geno Auriemma admires Caitlin Clark's and Paige Bueckers' toughness on the court

The legendary coach has also expressed admiration for how Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers carry themselves on the court.

Auriemma said that Clark talks a lot and backs it up with her awesome play on the court and so does Bueckers.

"When people talk about in WNBA why are these people beating up Caitlin Clark because she talks a lot of sh*t on the court. That's what makes her good so she's not like this you know angel walking out there and everybody else is beating her."

"She's got a lot to say ... She's a lot like Paige. Those guys have a lot to say they just do it subtly and they're tough," he said. (33:35)

Auriemma also claimed the women's game is beating the men's game in popularity due to the emergence of Clark, Bueckers, Angel Reese, JuJu Watkins and other women's basketball stars. He also pointed out that women's basketball players aren't following the one-and-done process their male counterparts usually do.

Auriemma believes the longer women's basketball players stay in college, the more they build a fanbase that could last a long time. The 11-time champion coach also noted that building that fanbase needs a team that performs well in the nation. It develops the credibility of the player, which also develops his/her branding when he/she goes up to a higher level.