This was no towel of surrender. But one of accomplishment. A towel of rest, representing the peace resulting from a job well done. Bueckers grabbed it and walked toward the Huskies bench. Her countenance softened, her disposition relaxed. She saw the hug of completion awaiting.
“So many emotions,” Bueckers said. “Gratitude was the main one — of the journey, of the ups and downs, everything that it took to get to that point.”
Geno Auriemma, her coach, her sensei, her advocate, often the thorn in her side, now and forever the bark in her conscience, became the warmth at the end of an epic journey. His arms wrapping around her in a triumphant embrace gave Bueckers permission to stop and feel the reward of her labor.
For this moment, if only for this moment, she could put down the plow. Her Huskies were but moments from a confetti shower following Sunday’s 82-59 trouncing of South Carolina. She could turn off the fire that’s been burning. She could dismount the guard her stature and fame requires erecting. She could relinquish whatever doubt and worry nestled in the crevices of her psyche.
Because she has done it. In her final game with UConn — in the presence of Huskies icons such as Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart in the stands — Bueckers became a national champion.
And in front of a sold-out crowd at Amalie Arena, before a million more viewing elsewhere, she let it all go. She squeezed Auriemma tight, releasing all the energy a superstar must carry, as her tears fell on the shoulder of her coach.
While she sobbed, Auriemma told his point guard he loved her.
“There are times when she and I are very, very serious together,” he explained. “And a lot of serious conversations have been had over the last five years between the two of us. Some conversations are light and fun and don’t mean anything. But today was the first one, I think, in five years that all the emotions that have been building inside of me came out. And they came out in here because in five years that she’s been at Connecticut, I’ve never seen her cry.”
And in this touching display, as the basketball world melted from their shared affection, one of the greatest Auriemma ever coached responded.
“And I told him,” Bueckers said, “I hated him.”
Bueckers deserved this moment. She earned this moment. But the truth is, she didn’t need this moment.
Paige Bueckers shared a long hug with Geno Auriemma as she checked out of her last college basketball game 🫂 pic.twitter.com/JZ9Jm630hu
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 6, 2025
In another universe where the Gamecocks played the game of their lives and upset UConn, the reality of her supremacy remains unchanged. A title will no doubt add to her legend. But Bueckers was already legendary.
Because, truly, winners aren’t defined by wins, but by the willingness to produce them. And the character ...
