Wednesday night was a celebration of the greatness of Geno Auriemma, who became the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history with the UConn Huskies' 85-41 win over Fairleigh Dickinson at Gampel Pavilion. But it was also a celebration of Auriemma's longtime associate head coach Chris Dailey, who has paced the sidelines alongside Auriemma since 1988, winning 11 NCAA national championships in tandem with the decorated coach.
So, it was only right that Dailey, in her 40th season in Storrs, was recognized with Auriemma, who among other things, was honored with a road sign in his name and joined at the ceremony by a live goat, in a nod to the GOAT (greatest of all time) acronym.
But UConn star Paige Bueckers, wanting to give Dailey some added recognition, went the extra mile and found a funny way to pay tribute to the longtime coach.
By wearing a wig that matches Dailey's hairstyle to the postgame media session.
The idea to wear Chris Dailey wigs at the UConn podium postgame was from Paige Bueckers 😂 pic.twitter.com/qcBHLMFFjM
— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) November 21, 2024
When asked whose idea it was, UConn guard Azzi Fudd piped up and joked that it was hers before revealing that Bueckers came up with the plan.
"We had to get CD [Chris Dailey] bobs to celebrate her today," Fudd said.
And Bueckers and the rest of the Huskies definitely had fun with their new hairstyles during the presser.
Paige Bueckers had to flip her wig bangs before answering a question about finding Azzi Fudd with the ball 😂 pic.twitter.com/MGZo72qTfL
— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) November 21, 2024
Bueckers then capped off the amusing tribute with a funny one-liner when asked about Dailey's reaction to the wigs.
"She said we ate, but we don't eat as hard as she does," Bueckers said with a smile as freshman forward Sarah Strong and Fudd could barely contain their laughter.
What was Chris Dailey's reaction to the wigs Paige Bueckers and the players wore?
— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) November 21, 2024
"She said we ate, but we don't eat as hard as she does" 😂 pic.twitter.com/dTz9otq5zB
Dailey, a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, has been the coordinator of UConn's relentless recruiting efforts over the years.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paige Bueckers, UConn Players Found Funny Way to Honor Geno Auriemma's Associate HC .
