UConn women's basketball head coach Geno Auriemma once compared the pressure on Paige Bueckers entering college to the expectations from UConn and WNBA legends Breanna Stewart, Maya Moore, and Diana Taurasi. Speaking on the Virtual Coaches Roadshow in July 2020, Auriemma said:
"Paige Bueckers is the kind of kid that comes in and whatever the situation she's in, she'll figure out how to be great in that situation. You know, people think she's gonna start and average 30. That ain't gonna happen. You know... the expectations level for a kid like that, like they were with Stewie [Breanna Stewart], like they were with Maya Moore, like they were with Diana [Taurasi], they're off the charts, and they almost never come true [in] freshman year." (53:41)
"So this kid's coming in with a ton of pressure on her, and yet, at the same time, I don't know that there's been a more exciting player to come out of high school in a long long time."
You can watch the full episode below.
Geno Auriemma comments on Paige Bueckers hitting 2,000 NCAA career points
Paige Bueckers scored the 2,000th point of her NCAA career on Sunday against Seton Hall. She became the 12th player in UConn history to reach the mark, doing so faster than anyone else.
She hit the mark in just her 102nd game, while basketball legend Maya Moore, who holds the UConn record for the most career points with 3,036, reached 2,000 points in 108 games.
Although the game against Seton Hall was still ongoing, Geno Auriemma talked to SNY's Chelsea Sherrod at halftime to reflect on Bueckers’ achievement.
"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."
Given that Bueckers is most likely going to declare for the WNBA Draft after this season, she almost certainly won't surpass Maya Moore's career points total. But that doesn't take away from the incredible college career Bueckers has produced at UConn under coach Geno Auriemma.
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