Paige Bueckers came in and conquered the WNBA in her debut season. With records tumbling, the 23-year-old has been touted as an able competitor to none other than Caitlin Clark.
However, while the WNBA fans saw all the glitz and glamor, the secret to the Dallas Wings’ star’s incredible performance lies back in her time with the UConn Huskies.
Recently, as the WNBA got into the offseason, the 23-year-old paid a visit to her college. And while Bueckers cited her visit to UConn as a ‘surreal feeling,’ she also opened up about how Geno Auriemma’s approach towards her has changed drastically.
Paige Bueckers Surprised To Find Geno Auriemma Behaving ‘Nice’
It has been seven months since Bueckers returned to the Huskies’ home. Last time she wore the colors, the 23-year-old guided the team to its 12th National title. Surprisingly, during her recent visit, the 2025 Rookie of the Year noticed a big change in how Auriemma behaved with her.
Speaking about the incident, Bueckers told USA Today Sports, “He’s a lot nicer to me now that I’m not a player there. We picked up right where we left off for sure.”
Geno Auriemma and Paige Bueckers are a special duo 💙 pic.twitter.com/aPV6kxfbI1
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) October 25, 2025
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The Wings star also pointed out that after playing almost a full calendar year of basketball, she did not have time to process anything. With so many things happening in her life lately, it was only on her birthday that the 23-year-old could properly reflect on how well her life has panned out in the last 12 months.
Meanwhile, coming back to Auriemma, Bueckers shares a special bond with her Huskies’ coach. And despite Auriemma terming Bueckers ‘delusional,’ he also urged the Dallas Wings to let Bueckers have a lot more say in the recruitment process.
Geno Auriemma Wants Paige Bueckers‘ Say In Wings’ Coaching Recruitment
The Dallas Wings had a forgettable season this year. Losing a string of games, the Wings ended up as the last team. And this was despite Bueckers’ brilliant season.
While former head coach Chris Koclanes tried his best, a significant gap between Bueckers and the others persisted. Thus, as the franchise opted for a new coach, Auriemma insisted that Bueckers must have more flexibility in choosing her next coach.
“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.
“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,” Auriemma added.
Thus, it is evident that despite coming out of the Huskies, Auriemma and Bueckers still have a strong bond. Now, it remains to be seen how Auriemma’s insights help Bueckers to up her game next.