The scoreboard showed a blowout win. But the emotions underneath told a more complex story. For Geno Auriemma, it wasn’t just about the win. It was about transformation—his team’s, and in many ways, his own. And it all came into focus on a defining night against UCLA.
“I thought for one night we were the best team in the country,” Auriemma said after UConn’s emphatic Final Four win. The Huskies dismantled the Bruins 85-51 behind a masterclass in defense and sharp execution. But for the Hall of Fame coach, the numbers told only part of the story. This wasn’t the same team that had sputtered against USC or looked shaky against Holy Cross to Auriemma early in the regular season. And it certainly wasn’t the same Geno.
After a sluggish win earlier in the season on December 4, 2024, against Holy Cross—where the Huskies were only up six at halftime and Paige Bueckers was out of rhythm—Auriemma had been blunt in his criticism. “We’re a very immature team,” he had admitted. “So we can’t… it’s hard for us to sustain something for four quarters.” But now, months later, the tone had shifted. The game against UCLA wasn’t just a semifinal—it felt like a statement. A night where two players, Azzi Fudd and Jana El Alfy, brought the spark he had long been searching for.
“Certainly she’s played her best game tonight,” Auriemma said about El Alfy, (in a clip posted by UConn on SNY on X) the Egyptian forward who had struggled earlier in the season to find her footing. “I think she focused on the things that, you know, we’ve tried to help her with… you can be a factor defensively. You can be a force rebounding the ball. You know, this is what we envisioned when you got here.”
“Whether that transfers over to Sunday remains to be seen, but for one night, I thought for one night we were the best team in the country.”
Geno Auriemma with @ChelseaSherrod after @UConnWBB‘s huge Final Four win over UCLA: pic.twitter.com/fd7liHR7Zl
— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) April 5, 2025
It was a role she had grown into gradually. El Alfy’s assignment was daunting: guard Lauren Betts, one of the most dominant centers in college basketball. But from the first whistle, El Alfy set the tone. “To see her take on the biggest challenge that there is in the college game right now, being able to guard somebody like, you know, like Lauren Betts and to be as successful as she was—that set the tone for the whole game right from the beginning.”
And then there was Azzi.
If El Alfy was the paint anchor, Fudd was the perimeter firestarter. After a forgettable outing against USC, she came out blazing. “There were two things that were the tone setters for the game,” Auriemma said. “What Jana was doing on the defensive end and what Azzi was doing on the offensive end… coming out being that aggressive and that assertive and, you know, totally opposite of the way she was against USC.”
Fudd’s energy lit up the court. She finished with 19 points on 7-12 shooting, knocking down three of her five three-point attempts. It wasn’t just her shot—it was the way she played with freedom and confidence, taking control of the pace, dictating flow. “Totally opposite,” Auriemma repeated, the emphasis revealing his own sense of renewal.
It wasn’t lost on him that the performance reflected something bigger—something internal. In the crucible of March, amid expectations and adversity, Geno Auriemma didn’t just find his team. He found a new version of himself.
The Evolution of Geno Auriemma: How Paige Bueckers Softened a Sideline Legend
Once the fiery sideline general who wore frustration like a badge, Geno Auriemma now watches his team with something else in his eyes—pride. Not because he’s softened, but because his players, under relentless pressure, haven’t broken. They’ve bloomed. The blueprint never changed—demand excellence, trust the process—but somewhere along the way, the architect evolved. He didn’t lower the bar. He just built a team that could reach it. And leading that ascent? Paige Bueckers.
After five unforgettable seasons and 121 battles in UConn blue, Bueckers isn’t just nearing the end of a college career—she’s closing the chapter on an era that may go down as one of the most emotionally resonant in Huskies history. She’s third on UConn’s all-time scoring list with 2,374 points, trailing only Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart, and her 28-point, 10-rebound performance against UCLA underscored her ability to elevate a still-gelling roster.
Dec 21, 2024; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma talks with guard Paige Bueckers (5) from the sideline as they take on the USC Trojans at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
She’s not just a stat sheet darling (though, sure, she is third on UConn’s all-time scoring list after a 31-point detonation in the Elite Eight). She’s a vibe, a leader, the soul of a squad that’s refused to flinch.
And as UConn prepared to clash with top-seeded UCLA in the Final Four, Geno’s voice broke with something rare: vulnerability.
“When I say unique, I think she’s closer to one or two or three of the most unique players I’ve ever coached,” he said in the lead-up to the game, reverence wrapped in reflection.
This wasn’t just another Final Four. It might have been Paige’s last dance. Her final bow. One more shot to bring a title back to Storrs for the first time since 2016—a drought that feels sacrilegious for a program of this caliber.
With the NCAA Tournament in full swing, Auriemma has leaned on Azzi Fudd and Jana El Alfy to complement Bueckers—a trio he believes can finally end UConn’s championship drought if they sustain this level through the title game.
Whether it ended with Lauren Betts and the Bruins on Friday or under championship confetti on Sunday, the final buzzer was looming. And Geno knew it.
“I’m really going to miss her,” he said, softer now. “I can’t say that out loud.” But he did. Then came Friday night. And UConn didn’t blink. They toppled No. 1 UCLA, punching their ticket to yet another national title game. Auriemma’s words, spoken before tip-off, now land heavier—like a coach coming to terms with both the past and the future.
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