It has been a few days since the UConn Huskies won their 12th national championship in program history. Head coach Geno Auriemma and point guard Paige Bueckers finally received their storybook ending to an incredible five years together. Auriemma watched Bueckers experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows throughout her career.
Over the course of the NCAA Tournament, the bond between the two was on full display. The Huskies won their first championship in nearly 10 years on Sunday, a remarkable feat for a program where it was once almost unthinkable not to make it to the Final Four or even the national championship.
“She deserves to go out as a national champion, but so do a bunch of kids at South Carolina who have done the exact same thing. That’s the beauty of it – only one of those teams is going to get to do that,” Auriemma told the media.
The Huskies took it straight to South Carolina and never looked back. There was no doubt that UConn was going to win that game. Bueckers was emotional the next day when addressing the Husky fans.
“This is an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the entire journey. This place is a second home to me. Thank you so much for everything,” Bueckers told the fans.
When Bueckers first arrived at UConn, she knew there would be pressure to win, but she acknowledged that the players already put pressure on themselves. After years of coming so close to the national championship, this season was finally her time.