Long before Paige Bueckers became the presumed No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, a Nike-backed superstar, and the fastest player in UConn history to reach 2,000 points, her legendary head coach Geno Auriemma saw something in his player that wasn’t helping her reach her full potential. Auriemma admitted that Bueckers’ confident mindset as a young player was delusional before great.

Auriemma has built UConn into a dynastic powerhouse, producing WNBA legends like the recently retired Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, and more. When it comes to Bueckers, Auriemma mentioned a side to her game that bordered on delusion.

“There’s a delusional side of Paige that I love,” Auriemma said to GQ before March Madness. “She has to know better, but she comes across as ‘I have never missed a shot; if I do miss, it’s because something happened. I have never fouled anybody in my life. The refs are always wrong.’”

While Auriemma enjoyed that aspect of her personality, he saw it as an obstacle she had to overcome. He explained that for Bueckers to truly reach her potential, she needed to embrace struggle, sacrifice, and adversity, which don’t come naturally to players with supreme talent.

“There’s always this back-and-forth between me and her, because I know what kids want. They want to do it their way. They want it to be a little easier. The only problem is, that’s not what they need,” he continued. “They need the struggle of it. They need to see what it feels like to make sacrifices, to give up yourself, and have the failures that strengthen you and make you ready for those next steps in your life. That failure part, I think, is so important.”

With the NCAA Tournament approaching, Bueckers and UConn are surging under Auriemma’s leadership at the right time. The Huskies sit atop the Big East standings with a 26-3 record, riding a five-game winning streak as they enter the final stretch of the regular season. Bueckers has been a driving force behind the Huskies success, leading the team in points per game and assists, while freshman phenom Sarah Strong has emerged as one of the best young forwards in the country, leading the Huskies in rebounds, steals, and blocks.

In her latest dominant performance, Bueckers put up 23 points and 10 assists in an 86-47 dismantling of Butler, beating the Bulldogs for the second time this season. UConn now faces Creighton and Marquette in its last two regular-season games. With Creighton [15-1] right behind them in the Big East standings, these matchups will determine momentum for the future conference tournament champion, who will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Regardless of March Madness, Bueckers is expected to headline the 2025 WNBA Draft, with the Dallas Wings holding the No. 1 overall pick. The Wings finished last season 9-31, second-worst in the league behind the Los Angeles Sparks [8-32].

After losing Satou Sabally to the Phoenix Mercury and making offseason moves to acquire DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith, Dallas now has an opportunity to rebuild with a potential superstar in Bueckers. Drafting Bueckers would pair her with four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and could give Dallas one of the most dynamic backcourts in the WNBA, setting up a franchise-defining rebuild.