“That’s Geno’s [Auriemma] Fault”: $250,000 UConn Star’s Rise Highlights the Huskies Coach’s Impact

None can deny that Paige Bueckers forwent the WNBA 2024 draft just to win a championship title for UConn. With head coach Geno Auriemma hinting at bidding adieu to the team, so is Bueckers, making the motivation to fulfill this dream even stronger. While Bueckers’ caliber is undeniable, there’s been a question mark on leadership and responsibility after players like Nika Muhl entered the WNBA. But not anymore!

To support Bueckers in her championship run, there’s another standout on the Huskies roster — Kaitlyn Chen. “I think Kaitlyn is adapting to a faster, more demanding style of play, and I think it suits her. One of the things I remember Geno talking about… is he loves the way Kaitlyn has come in with that aggressive mindset,” shared Mark Zanetto in his October 22nd episode of ‘Locked on UConn’.

Chen arrived at UConn just this summer after a successful run at Princeton; 90 games to her resume — that’s more than any other Husky. She was also named the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2023. But what the podcaster observes is that Chen hasn’t really been boastful about it and is instead putting in the necessary work. She also seems to have overcome any barrier to adjustment, molding to fit the program. Something very difficult to do.

“She’s just go go go and being aggressive and attacking based off of what he (HC) wants. And that’s not easy to do” Zanetto added, before pointing out that it isn’t easy for a player to step up in a program like the Huskies, where the bar is raised every game. Geno Auriemma has a hand in that he notes. “That’s not Kaitlyn’s fault, that’s Geno’s fault for being such a prolific coach.”

Geno took the position of head coach for the Huskies back in 1985, and since then, he has helped the team become the most successful program in the nation. Under his coaching, the team has won 11 NCAA Division I national championships so far. In fact, four of these came in a row from 2013 to 2016. And this year is no different.

Same team, same task, but a different roster

This season, the National Championship run isn’t going to be as easy as it may seem. Despite having Paige Bueckers at the forefront, the Huskies need a left hand to support her, especially since she won’t be able to play for the full 40 minutes on the court. “Something the team really needs sometimes is someone to come in and take the reins.”

And Kaitlyn Chen is the perfect match, as she’s veteran-savvy and has the experience to handle the pressure. “That’s going to be key because you don’t want to override or overstep your bounds as a new player coming into Paige’s and UConn’s ecosystem,” Zanetto added, highlighting Chen’s impressive gameplay over three years.

As part of Princeton’s basketball team, she averaged 15.8 points, 1.3 steals, and 4.9 assists per game last season. She even led the Tigers to three Ivy League tournament championships, where she earned Most Outstanding Player honors each time. “What I liked about Kaitlyn is she’s at practice every day. She’s an incredibly hard worker. She’s incredibly aggressive. She’s smart. She picks things up very quickly,” Auriemma had attested.

That’s how Chen can fairly compensate for the Huskies’ loss of Nika Muhl while acting as a catalyst for Bueckers’ performance on the court. But whether they will win the championship remains to be seen.