The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Bueckers adjusting to UConn, and Geno’s quick wit
It’s been a while since Paige Bueckers has been in the public eye. The nation’s top-ranked recruit has mainly stayed behind the scenes since arriving in Storrs in late July, except for the occasional Instagram or Twitter post.
The change of pace, she says, is refreshing. But in no way is it permanent. Even on a relatively secluded college campus, Bueckers can’t get away from her celebrity status completely.
Geno Auriemma won’t let her. The freshman has already absorbed plenty of ribbing from UConn’s Hall of Fame coach.
“She’s my idol,” Auriemma quipped after Wednesday’s practice, the first official one of the offseason. “Paige is famous for being famous. I ask her all the time, ‘Paige, you’re like the most famous basketball player in the country. … What are you famous for?’ I kid her all the time about it.”
Auriemma has even nicknamed her “Paige Kardashian.”
“I just laugh,” said Bueckers, noting the playful banter from Auriemma is nothing new. “I completely agree with him. I don’t really know why I’m famous, either. I’m just an 18-year-old high school kid, almost 19. I really just want to prove that I wasn’t just a player who could play in high school.”
The truth is, Bueckers isn’t just any 18-year-old. The Minnesota-bred point guard has already been hailed as the next big thing in women’s basketball, a generational talent with the charisma and flair to match. She’s already graced the cover of SLAM, rubbed elbows with NBA stars, and collected countless awards, including Gatorade
Female Athlete of the Year.
“She’s a great passer. She sees the court really well,” sophomore Anna Makurat said. “She’s a shooter, and she can drive to the basket. She can do all things on the court. I hope she can stay aggressive. She’s a special talent.”
Yet, despite her fame and all that goes with it, Bueckers has managed to remain relatively level-headed.
“That’s like a 180 from who she really is on the court with our players,” Auriemma said. “You would never know. Except for her talent, you would
never know. She’s just a regular kid that has a lot of talent. She’s in the gym all the time working on her game. You would think somebody that’s famous, somebody that has all this would just take it for granted. She’s in the gym all the time working on her game, and the kids know it.”
“But don’t get me wrong,” Auriemma continued. “She knows she’s good. She knows she’s good, and that’s part of being good. She knows she’s good, and she knows there’s things she can do that are kind of unique. So, she has fun with it.”
The 5-foot-11 Bueckers is one of six freshmen on this year’s team of 11. The nation’s second-ranked class, which also includes Aaliyah Edwards, Mir McLean, Nika Muhl, Piath Gabriel and walk-on Autumn Chassion, has impressed coaches with their competitive spirit and work ethic since workouts began on a limited basis in the summer.
“Everybody on the team has that drive and that competitive mindset to kind of beat up their teammate and beat up the person on defense,” said Edwards, a forward from Canada. “We’re not friends on the court. After practice, we can laugh with each other and high five each other, but on the court we mean business.”
Bueckers described her first practice as a Husky as “fast-paced.” Everything, she said, was done with a purpose.
“A lot of drills,” she said. “It’s a lot of hard work.”
With some of Auriemma’s trademark sarcasm mixed in, apparently.
“It’s just great to be in the presence of greatness, be in her aura, her celebrity,” Auriemma said of practicing with Bueckers. “We’ve been such a downtrodden program for all these years, we needed that savior to come in here and save us. She’s the anointed one.”