Geno Auriemma unravels "delusional" side of Paige Bueckers; says failures and sacrifice are crucial for her

UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma has seen and mentored several established players during his 40-year tenure with the Huskies. Auriemma's 2024-25 season team consists of star Paige Bueckers, the projected top pick in the 2025 WNBA draft.

During an interview with GQ, Auriemma spoke about what he described as a "delusional" side of Bueckers, one that he both appreciates and aims to temper for her long-term growth.

"There’s a delusional side of Paige that I love," Auriemma said. "She has to know better, but she comes across as, ‘I have never missed a shot; if I do miss, it’s because something happened. I have never fouled anybody in my life; the refs are always wrong.’"

Geno Auriemma's coaching style involves getting involved and understanding a player's approach toward the game. He wants Bueckers to understand the importance of failures and sacrifice.

"So there’s always this back-and-forth between me and her, because I know what kids want," Auriemma added. "They want to do it their way, they want it to be a little easier. The only problem is, that’s not what they need. They need the struggle of it.

"They need to see what it feels like to make sacrifices, to give up yourself, and have the failures that strengthen you and make you ready for those next steps in your life. That failure part, I think, is so important.”

Paige Bueckers applauds Geno Auriemma for making her "no-excuse" player

In sports or life in general, excuses often impair and derail progress. Paige Bueckers used to be a person who always had excuses when things didn't go her way. But learning and playing under Geno Auriemma has helped her battle those bad habits and grow as a player with no excuses.

"He tells you what you don’t want to hear a lot of the time, and that’s sort of why you choose to come here," Bueckers said (via GQ). "I’ve always been a person who had excuses for things—a reason why I didn’t do this, a reason why I did do this. He’s really pushed me to break those habits and find no excuses."

With her final college season with UConn underway, Bueckers has emerged as a leader for the team as they aim to make a deep run in March and finish with an NCAA championship win.