Paige Bueckers emerged as one of the biggest names in the WNBA this season. Making her debut, Bueckers was phenomenal with her hoop skills. And apart from winning the Rookie of the Year, Bueckers also earned praise from general manager Curt Miller recently.
Now, with the 23-year-old gaining such stardom, the Dallas Wings are banking heavily on her. Meanwhile, owing to her impeccable performance on the hardwood, Bueckers was recently selected for the 18-player pool for the women’s senior national camp. In response, Auriemma made a comparison to Sue Bird.
Geno Auriemma Feels Paige Bueckers Can Mimic Sue Bird’s Greatness
Out of all the UConn Huskies stars, one of the most prominent names has undoubtedly been Sue Bird. And while it is too early to rope in a comparison, Auriemma feels that Bueckers certainly has what it takes to be a basketball icon.
Speaking about how Bueckers must approach her maiden national team camp, the Huskies coach stated, “I believe the first step is to get invited. So, that’s number one. So, that’s happened. Whatever you need her to do, she’s going to do it. Since Sue retired, there really hasn’t been a clear-cut ‘here’s the successor.’”
He also pointed out how Bueckers comes in with a strong and flexible mindset. Auriemma stressed how the Wings’ star can adapt to and evolve according to the team’s needs, which she is playing for. And that is exactly why Auriemma wanted Bueckers to have more say in the next Wings’ coach hiring.
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Geno Auriemma Wants Paige Bueckers To Choose Her Next Head Coach
Despite acquiring Bueckers, the Dallas Wings were the last team to finish on the points table. Surprisingly, as the 23-year-old wreaked havoc, the team as a whole could not perform at all. And thus, the front office decided to opt for a major roster shakeup this time around.
Giving the golden handshake to Chris Koclanes, the Wings recently hired Jose Fernandez as their new coach. But while the hiring was in process, Auriemma wanted Bueckers to have more say in the recruiting process.
“I told Paige this the other day: A great player can play for any coach—if they want to. Now, if they get a coach that doesn’t believe and doesn’t have a collaboration with Paige, then that would be a difficult journey,” Auriemma said.
He further added, “And it’s like recruiting. Recruit the person you want who has the qualities. But at the end of the day, whoever the coach is, you can make it work for them, or you can make it not work for them, provided there’s a good roster around you. So I think the roster is gonna be more important than the coach, even though the coach is crucial, obviously.”
Thus, it is evident that Auriemma has full faith in Bueckers. Now, fans will be eager to see how well Bueckers can repay the faith in the long run.