Geno Auriemma and Paige Bueckers close chapter with championship at UConn

Geno Auriemma wrapped Paige Bueckers in a heartfelt embrace on the court — one final moment shared between coach and player. The UConn Huskies were minutes away from clinching their 12th national championship with an 82-59 victory over South Carolina, ending a nine-year title drought and capping off a journey marked by resilience through adversity, and ultimately, triumph.

“Some conversations are light and fun and don’t mean anything,” Auriemma said of the moment with Bueckers. “But today was the first one, I think, in five years that all the emotions that have been building inside of me came out. They came out here because in the five years that she’s been at Connecticut I’ve never seen her cry. And she might deny it, but she cried because she’s going to miss me.”

The weight of that embrace wasn’t just due to the on-court victory, it was the culmination of emotions that had built through a five-year journey. Bueckers, whose college career was repeatedly tested by injuries and setbacks, has been key to UConn’s success. Through it all, her bond with Auriemma strengthened, defined by an unwavering commitment to each other. Bueckers’ college career found its storybook ending in a national title.

“It’s just gratitude for all that Coach [Auriemma] has meant to me and how much he’s shaped me to the human I am, to the basketball player I am throughout this entire five years,” Bueckers said. “Just putting it all together in one hug, what our journey has been together.”

The road to this moment was far from smooth. Just three years ago, the Huskies stood on a similar stage – the 2022 national title game – only to fall to South Carolina. It was a historic loss, marking the program’s first defeat in a title game. 

But on Sunday afternoon, UConn came out on top against the Gamecocks.

The No. 2-seed Huskies overcame a daunting road to secure the title, but that made it all the more significant. For Auriemma, now 71, the win carries personal significance as well. Already the winningest coach in college basketball history, he became the oldest Division I basketball coach – men’s or women’s – to win an NCAA title.

“I don’t think the basketball gods would take us all the way to the end — they’ve been really cruel with some of the kids on this team,” Auriemma said. “They’ve suffered a lot of the things that could go wrong in their college careers as an athlete. So they don’t need anymore heartbreak…I’m glad they were rewarded. This is one of the most emotional Final Fours and emotional national championships I’ve been a part of since that very first one.” 

For Auriemma, Bueckers and the UConn Huskies, this win wasn’t about the trophy. It was about writing history and leaving a legacy. 

“There were a lot of people that didn’t think it would ever happen,” Auriemma said. “There were a lot of people that hoped it would never happen. I’m glad that we were able to get to that spot that Connecticut has occupied — not that we had to win a championship, but in the last 30 years I don’t know that any program’s meant more to their sport than what UConn has meant to women’s basketball, so I feel good about that.”