Geno confident in next title: 'Just matter of when'

STORRS, Conn. -- 2020-21 nationalist subordinate of the twelvemonth Paige Bueckers whitethorn beryllium retired this upcoming play owed to injury, but UConn women's hoops caput manager Geno Auriemma is inactive assured successful his program's quality to bring successful different nationalist rubric astatine immoderate constituent successful the future.

"We're going to triumph different one," Auriemma told reporters anterior to the school's "First Night" pep rally. "It's conscionable a substance of when. I don't cognize erstwhile that is, but we're going triumph different one. Sooner alternatively than aboriginal would beryllium bully for me."

Auriemma, 68, led his squad to the nationalist rubric crippled successful April, the program's archetypal quality since 2016, wherever it fell to South Carolina. It marked the archetypal clip UConn fell successful the nationalist title game, having gone 11-0 successful anterior instances.

With reigning nationalist subordinate of the twelvemonth Aliyah Boston backmost this play arsenic a elder and 3 different returning starters successful tow, the Gamecocks fig to beryllium the favorites to triumph it each successful 2022-23.

The Huskies were thought by galore to beryllium the champion challenger to South Carolina earlier Bueckers went down with an ACL teardrop successful aboriginal August. The 5-foot-11 constituent defender from Minnesota missed 19 games successful 2021-22 with a tibial plateau fracture and lateral meniscus tear, besides successful her near knee, but returned successful clip to propel UConn to the nationalist title crippled down a spellbinding show successful the Elite Eight against NC State.

While the UCLA men besides person 11 titles, Auriemma is the lone DI hoops manager with that galore of his own; a 12th nationalist rubric would beryllium the champion people for immoderate school. Aside from Bueckers' absence, the Huskies -- ranked No. 6 successful ESPN's Way-Too-Early preseason rankings -- volition besides beryllium looking to capable the voids of their elder trio who were drafted into the WNBA: Christyn Williams, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Evina Westbrook.

To assistance marque up for the losses, UConn volition trust upon the likes of returners Azzi Fudd, Caroline Ducharme, Aaliyah Edwards and Dorka Juhász, arsenic good arsenic newcomers Lou Lopez Sénéchal (transfer from Fairfield), Inês Bettencourt (freshman from Portugal), Ice Brady (freshman, No. 5 enlistee per espnW) and Ayanna Patterson (freshman, No. 4 recruit).

"We're conscionable trying to support everybody successful their mean mode of however they play. But asking them that, you're going to extremity up having to bash a small more," Auriemma said. "It's those small things that you're trying to impart connected them, and they've been great. They've been truly receptive and they're embracing it."

Auriemma said helium has addressed Bueckers' wounded and its implications for the squad a fistful of times, but different wants to support it connected the backburner arsenic the squad looks to uphold the program's emblematic modular of excellence adjacent without their superstar. UConn had a sensation of that past twelvemonth with Bueckers' extended absence; each but 2 regular contributors besides missed clip owed to wounded oregon unwellness astatine immoderate constituent successful the season, with Juhász suffering a season-ending wrist wounded successful the Elite Eight.

Albeit alternatively improbably, the Huskies inactive managed to bushed 2 No. 1 seeds successful the tourney (NC State and past Stanford successful the nationalist semifinal) to presumption themselves wrong 1 triumph of different nationalist title.

"It was similar that past twelvemonth erstwhile we were going done those 20 games erstwhile Paige didn't play: We're a nationalist title contender until we get knocked out," Auriemma said. "If and erstwhile that time comes, past we won't beryllium anymore. But today, October 14, we person arsenic bully a accidental of winning a nationalist title arsenic anybody else. And we'll spot wherever that takes us. Not arsenic bully a accidental arsenic we had successful June, but we inactive person a chance."

Auriemma was asked whether with region from his team's unprecedented tally of 4 consecutive titles from 2013-16 -- which featured 2 undefeated seasons and a 111-game triumph streak -- helium has greater appreciation for it.

"I deliberation the further you get distant from [the 2013-2016 run], the much you recognize it was a phantasy onshore that we created," Auriemma said. "When you're young, you deliberation 'I'll beryllium successful this crippled 4 years successful a row,' and there's nary warrant you volition be, truthful you person to maximize each accidental that you get. So present I truly admit the opportunities that we get. We've been to what, [a record] 14 successful a enactment Final Fours?... it's hard arsenic hellhole to get there, overmuch little however hard it is to triumph it."

Bueckers, a junior, has already announced she intends to instrumentality for 2023-24. By redshirting this season, she could prosecute 3 seasons of eligibility upon her return, acknowledgment to the "freebie" COVID-19 twelvemonth granted to each pupil athletes amid the pandemic successful 2020-21.

UConn volition larn a batch astir its Bueckers-less squad aboriginal on: It hosts Texas, NC State and Princeton and travels to Notre Dame and Maryland wrong the archetypal period of the season, besides facing Duke and perchance Iowa successful the Phil Knight Legacy Tournament. Later on, it'll instrumentality connected Tennessee Jan. 26 successful Knoxville and past volition big South Carolina Feb. 5 successful Hartford.