“That’s why she missed next year, I choked her”: Geno Auriemma jokes about Paige Bueckers’ injury, recalls when she almost cost him a win

Geno Auriemma joked about Paige Bueckers' absence for the 2022-23 season while talking about consistency in an interview with "What Drives Winning." The coach claimed that the tough decision to do the right thing matters more than the outcome.

Auriemma reflected on the 2021 Elite Eight game against Baylor, citing that Bueckers was impatient to wait for a screen during crucial inbound play.

Despite the broken play, UConn won the contest 69-67. When Auriemma confronted Bueckers for her decision-making in the locker room, the UConn star stubbed the conversation by stating that the team still won.

"We win. That night, walking past Paige, 'Hey, are you kidding me?'" Geno Auriemma said (19:25 onwards). "She says, 'What?,' I said, 'We set this thing up and we've gone over this and you decide you don't feel like waiting for that screen and you take off and now, you put us in a position where we're going to lose.' I shake my head and I keep walking."

"She walks seven-eight feet past me, turns around, goes, 'We won, didn't we?' That's why she missed the next year, I choked her."

Geno Auriemma said that when a pleasing outcome yields from a bad decision, like Paige Bueckers' decision to alter the inbound play, it leads players to pursue shortcuts in their careers.

Geno Auriemma is yet to try out Paige Bueckers' sneakers

Paige Bueckers became the first women's college basketball player to spearhead Player Edition shoes with Nike this month. The Bueckers version of Nike GT Hustle 3 features lavender purple and baby blue.

While her UConn counterparts are all in for the design, colors and feel of the sneakers, Auriemma has yet to try it.

"I love them, I do, I think they're really cool. She picked out some great colors," Geno Auriemma said to The UConn Daily on Tuesday (16:40). "They look great, in person, on TV. It's a really cool shoe and the players like it. They say it's comfortable, I'll take their word for it."

"I have a pair. I don't know if they're my size. I haven't opened the box. It's not on my list of favorite shoes of all time. When my daughter was inside a Ralph Samson shoe, that was a favorite shoe."

Buekers debuted her sneakers against Louisville on Dec. 7, lodging her first 10-rebound outing of the season.