“Paige is really under the gun this year because everyone’s expectations are so high.” Geno Auriemma had already sent a warning to UConn’s standout player Paige Bueckers entering her final year. And the Huskies’ HC was not wrong since there is real pressure on Bueckers given she is the projected No.1 pick of the WNBA 2025 draft. Now, Auriemma has given yet another honest reality check to Bueckers while acknowledging her talent after her 29-point performance in the latest game.

UConn notched its third victory in a row last night as it cruised past North Carolina 69-58. Bueckers took the limelight after ending the game with 29 points, her first 25+ point performance of the season. When Auriemma took the podium in the post-game press conference, he did have words of appreciation for the UConn guard, but his message only ended on a note that may remind Bueckers of a reality.

“She’s got a long way to go still. There’s a lot that she’s not accomplished yet,” shared the UConn head coach, with a mix of encouragement and realism. It’s not every day you hear that about someone as “gifted” as Paige Bueckers, especially when the coach also highlighted her relentless work ethic to refine her talent. After all, Bueckers earned the joint Freshman of the Year award in 2021 and recently secured a spot on the AP Preseason All-American list. She’s already making waves, but it sounds like the best is yet to come.

And while Auriemma gave his opinion that Bueckers is yet to achieve a lot, he also echoed the sentiment of those calling her “generational”—though his remarks came with a sly, subtle dig, punctuated by his own laugh. “Well, I’ve been around a lot of generations, so I’ve had a lot of generational players (laughs) that people described as generational and I guess they were. I guess it’s, it’s true, you know our 40 years have included quite a number of players that were labeled generational,” Auriemma said during the interview. 

Interestingly, the “generational” tag isn’t unique to Bueckers. Caitlin Clark, the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year, carries the same label. But if anyone’s unafraid to stir the pot, it’s Auriemma. He’s made waves before with sharp critiques of Clark and even aimed at the Fever fanbase.

From Critic to Contradiction: Geno Auriemma’s premature take on Caitlin Clark from the past

Caitlin Clark may have rewritten the NCAA record books as the all-time leading scorer—across both men’s and women’s Division I basketball—but that didn’t silence her critics ahead of the 2024 WNBA Draft. Despite her historic college career, doubts swirled about whether she was ready to compete with the world’s best. Among those leading the charge against the Clark hype train, one has been Auriemma.

Auriemma said about Clark in June on The Dan Patrick Show, “The delusional fanbase that follows her disrespected the WNBA players by saying she’s gonna win that league and tear it apart. There were actually odds on… like she’s third of fourth in betting odds on being MVP of the WNBA. These people are so disrespectful and so unknowledgeable and so stupid that it gives women’s basketball a bad name.”

It seems Geno Auriemma’s early skepticism about Caitlin Clark didn’t quite age as expected. The 11x National Championship-winning coach might now be rethinking those bold—and perhaps premature—remarks. Sure, the Indiana Fever stumbled through the first month of the season, but they found their stride soon enough.

Clark, at the heart of their resurgence, delivered stellar performances that powered the Fever to their first playoff berth in eight years during a dominant post-Olympic stretch. Her efforts didn’t just revitalize the team—they earned her the Rookie of the Year honor and a coveted spot on the All-WNBA First Team.

While Auriemma may have missed the mark with his harsh critique of Caitlin Clark, his perspective on Paige Bueckers feels more like a constructive reality check. Rather than a criticism to tear her down, it’s a nudge toward growth—one that, if embraced positively, could only fuel Bueckers’ development. It would be interesting if Bueckers could lead UConn to the championship in her final year and change her coach’s point of view. One thing is for sure, Auriemma sees Bueckers as “the most difficult player to guard in America.”