I wonder if the Big East can renegotiate its deal with FOX to account for the Geno Auriemma/Paige Bueckers Show. Ideally, it would air nightly during the season — except on game days of course — and would feature the two of them sitting next to each other talking about whatever the hell they want. Geno would get a glass vat of wine, of course. There’d be a moderator there who would occasionally throw a question out there to get him going. Something easy like “what do you think about the expectations placed on Paige this year?”
Actually, that’s the only question that’ll be asked and the moderator will ask it several times an episode. It elicits the best response every time.
So far in practice he’s already given her the name Paige Kardashian because he says she’s “famous for being famous.” He knows she has an undeniable talent, but is quick to knock her down to Earth when needed.
Big East media day brought out some true gems from the Hall of Fame coach on his freshman phenom, and he needed no prompting.
It began in his opening statement when, after mumbling a bit about some of his players broke right into this:
“I don’t even know why we have a preseason freshman of the year,” he said. “It’s pointless. We used to have a preseason all-freshman team where you actually had to vote for five guys who you’ve never seen play a college game. ‘Hey I think they’re gonna be First Team All-Big East Freshman.’ Come on. You gotta be kidding me. By the end of the year. Half those guys didn’t even play.”
He then covered the box on his screen showing Bueckers.
“Here let me put my hand over her. I don’t even know why we have Paige on this call.”
Bueckers has never lacked for confidence and, it seems, knew how to needle her coach before even stepping on campus. Remember last spring when she said she has a higher basketball IQ than the guy with 11 rings?
Auriemma called her a dumbass for that one.
Bueckers is just a freshman. She’s never played a college game and this is already a relationship that I can’t wait to watch develop over the next four years. She’s drawn comparisons to Diana Taurasi, not just for her style of play, but for the ridiculous (and warranted) confidence that she carries. As great as that is, it’s amazing fodder for Auriemma — a guy who lacks a filter but never seems to lack a microphone when he wants one.
To say that Auriemma and Bueckers are just casually trading barbs would be to sell the Hall of Famer short. He knows why he gets on his star and he does it at the right times.
“I made a comment the other day in front of Paige and I made sure she heard me,” he said. “I said it to Christyn Williams actually. I said, ‘Christyn does she think she’s the first good player to ever come to Connecticut? I don’t know what the big deal is.’ For me it’s just a way to have fun with the kids and let them realize, ‘hey it’s really not that important.’ I also know that what’s coming next is that they’re going to really, really, really struggle at some point.”
Bueckers knows that. It’s all in good fun. She’s even doing her best to help her coach build his celebrity status a bit.
I’m thinking the title for the pilot episode of the Geno Auriemma/Paige Bueckers Show should be Geno Kardashian.
