New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Auriemma’s plea to Bueckers: Shoot!
STORRS — Paige Bueckers is by nature a facilitator. She’d rather dish the ball to an open teammate than score herself.
That’s how she was in high school, that’s how she was with USA Basketball, and that’s exactly how she is now for UConn.
Geno Auriemma thinks it may be in the Huskies’ best interest, though, for Bueckers to be a bit more selfish.
The UConn coach reinforced that point following Tuesday’s 75-52 victory against No. 18 DePaul, in which the fourth-ranked Huskies’ struggles from deep continued. They were 8-of-27 from 3-point range (4-of-21 not including Bueckers).
“Paige is a really, really good 3-point shooter,” Auriemma said. “So if you have a really good 3-point shooter that won’t shoot or is thinking pass-first, that’s great provided the other guys that you’re passing to are Klay Thompson and Steph Curry.
Through her first six games as a Husky, Bueckers has shot the ball more than nearly anyone on the roster. Her 78 attempts are second behind Christyn Williams’ 85.
She led the Huskies with 18 points on 6-of-15 from the floor against DePaul, though Auriemma did not consider it one of her best efforts.
“She looked a little bit tentative. She looked a little bit unsure a few times,” Auriemma said. “I think she’s still not comfortable
shooting the ball as many times as I want her to shoot it.
“If you look at the other five games she’s played and you look at tonight’s game, tonight wasn’t one of her better efforts. … I think if you ask her, she’ll tell you she’s not too happy about how she played.”
Said Bueckers: “I didn’t have a very good shooting night. … I got to the spots I wanted to. Shots didn’t fall.”
The Huskies led the nation in 3-point shooting at 39.9 percent last season, but lost their two most dependable outside scorers from that team in Megan Walker and Crystal Dangerfield. This year, that number has dipped to 33.3 percent — 107th in the country.
While they’ve found other ways to score, especially in the post with the 6-foot-5 Olivia Nelson-Ododa and 6-3 Aaliyah Edwards, they’ll need to get more efficient from long range to keep defenses honest.
Bueckers, who has connected on nine of her first 18 3-point attempts and leads UConn in scoring (18.2), can certainly help in that regard.
“I want to do everything that my team needs me to do to win,” she said. “So if that’s me taking more shots, even if it’s against what I like to do as a player — I like to pass first — every game I’m trying to get better I’m shooting the ball more.”
Auriemma’s been driving that point home to Bueckers, not just in practice but in games as well. He was seen having a spirited conversation with her during a timeout late in the first half against DePaul.
His message? Shoot!
“He said it in a different way,” Bueckers said, smiling, “but yeah, that was the gist of it.”