Paige Bueckers forced coach into major decision after 'refusing to run up the floor'

UConn's star guard Paige Bueckers took matters into her own hands, urging head coach Geno Auriemma to let her take control as she nears the end of her college career. In what was her final game at XL Center against Creighton, Bueckers put on a show for the Huskies' fans, contributing 15 points, seven assists, seven rebounds, and a block in the 72-53 victory.

Playing 37 minutes, it seemed Bueckers' increased involvement was the result of a discussion with Auriemma. The esteemed coach revealed post-game that giving Bueckers more possession was an intentional strategy.

"Yeah, we made a concerted effort to put the ball in her hands more often," Auriemma said. He explained Bueckers' influence on this decision: "I mean, actually, she kind of forced us to do it because she refused to run up the floor when she didn't get the outlet pass. So if we didn't put the ball in her hands, she wasn't going to run up there anyway.

"So we're like, what's the point? She wants the ball in her hand. And, you know, she's pouting over there."

Ultimately, the Huskies' coaching staff and players acquiesced to Bueckers' approach, leading to their decisive triumph over Creighton.

The 70-year-old coach expressed his strategy with confidence, saying: "So let's give her the ball and let her do what she wants with it and because she has it in her hands a lot more now, she has the ability to kind of dictate where the ball is going to go. And, you know, [Kaitlyn Chen] and KK [Arnold], they're fine."

He praised the team's dynamic, noting: "Just sprint up the floor. So Paige is playing the way she wants to play. And it's actually better for us to play that way."

When Bueckers was questioned about influencing Auriemma to ensure she had more control over the ball, the 23-year-old clarified to journalists that this shift wasn't the result of a specific conversation before their match against Creighton.

She explained: "I think it kind of happened organically in games and in practice. Like I would start to get the outlet more and Kaitlyn and KK are very like accommodating and like to who's, like it doesn't matter, one out of three of us are going to be able to bring the ball up, make plays, distribute.

"But I think lately it's been more, sorry, more of me doing that. So it's just been, I guess, sort of a thing that kind of happened organically, but we always have conversations of how I can play make more, how I can get the ball in my hands more and be more aggressive in that way."

Bueckers and the UConn team will take a brief period to celebrate their triumph in clinching the Big East regular season championship before they set their sights on Marquette for what will be the star's final home appearance at Gampel Pavilion.

This article originally appeared on Mirror US