"Threw her under the bus": Women's hoops analyst questions whether Geno Auriemma is holding back Paige Bueckers, compares her to Hailey Van Lith

Basketball analyst Rachel DeMita believes UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma is stalling the progress of star player Paige Bueckers.

On the Courtside Club podcast, DeMita started by examining the fan backlash that followed UConn’s game against Holy Cross. Although UConn emerged victorious, fans weren’t impressed with the Huskies’ performance during the first half in which Bueckers struggled to score.

DeMita seemed miffed by Auriemma's halftime comments about Bueckers.

"He basically said 'Well, Paige just likes to stand around. She’s not really aggressive, and she’s not going to go after the ball, so that’s just what Paige likes to do,'" DeMita said.

"He kind of threw her under the bus."

(ET: 3:00)

"Many fans have started noticing how Geno makes comments to the media about his players that rub people the wrong way. It’s started to make me think if Geno's coaching style is affecting Paige Bueckers' trajectory and maybe halted her a little bit in becoming the best player she could possibly become.”

DeMita compared Bueckers to Hailey Van Lith, who, according to her, has flourished after transferring to TCU. Van Lith struggled to find her footing at LSU, but has impressed at TCU.

"We look at a case like Hailey Van Lith... She is leading her team, putting up big numbers... It seems like she’s finally able to play freely, without the constraints of a rigid system."

Paige Bueckers has led UConn to unbeaten start

UConn has started the 2024-25 season with an impressive 8-0 record. Bueckers remains a key player, leading the Huskies with an average of 18.9 points per game. She is averaging 2.5 points more than the team’s second-highest scorer, Sarah Strong.

The Huskies face No. 8 Notre Dame in their next game.