"It's a no-win situation"- Geno Auriemma recalls national championship conversation with Dan Hurley

UConn women and men's basketball coaches Geno Auriemma and Dan Hurley sat down together recently for the first episode of 'Legendary Basketball' for UConnPlus.TV. As shown in the teaser of the episode released on January 20 via social media, Auriemma hilariously recalled telling Hurley that his first national championship will be the worst night of his life. This was just before Hurley's first championship game in 2023.

"I told you the night before the first championship game in Houston, I said, 'Tomorrow is going to be the worst day of your life,' because if you win, you're going to be beside yourself to get back here. And if you lose, you're gonna want to destroy everything you've done because it's not good enough... It's a no-win situation."

---

Geno Auriemma comments on Paige Bueckers reaching 2,000 points in NCAA basketball

UConn Huskies star guard Paige Bueckers reached an incredible milestone on Sunday, scoring the 2,000th point of her NCAA career. Geno Auriemma commented on the feat at halftime of the game against Seton Hall, speaking with SNY’s Chelsea Sherrod.

"I know what she has been through, how many times she has been dealt a bad hand and she had a lot of adversity during her whole college career, starting with COVID her freshman year," Auriemma said.

"I know the points are a source of accomplishment for her. But I think us winning and us moving on and us having a magical year are probably more important to her than anything else," he added.

The achievement makes Bueckers the 12th player in UConn history to hit the 2,000-point mark and the fastest to do so. She accomplished the feat in just 102 games, surpassing the pace of UConn legend Maya Moore.

Moore, who holds the program record for career points with 3,036, reached 2,000 points in 108 games.

Paige Bueckers and her close friend and teammate Azzi Fudd had playfully speculated how she might score her 2,000th career point. They imagined it happening with either a free throw or a dramatic buzzer-beater. Instead, Bueckers reached the milestone in the second quarter of UConn's game against Seton Hall, sinking a smooth pull-up jumper.

As Bueckers is likely to declare for the WNBA Draft following this season, surpassing Maya Moore's record for career points at UConn seems out of reach. However, this doesn’t diminish the remarkable legacy Bueckers has built at UConn under coach Geno Auriemma.

Her achievements at UConn, whether or not her journey concludes with a National Championship, solidify her status as one of the program’s all-time greats.