UConn’s Geno Auriemma – Paige Bueckers should be able to make WNBA draft, but still help ‘build a brand’

SAN ANTONIO – UConn coach Geno Auriemma has said he will support a unique environment in women’s college basketball, saying student-athletes like his freshman star Paige Bueckers “should have the choice of how they want to live their life and how they want to take control of their own life. “

Entry restrictions are part of the current WNBA collective agreement. Unlike the men’s game, in which players can turn pro after one season, most female players are not eligible for the WNBA draft until after their fourth year in college. There are a few exceptions for juniors: if they have been in school for four years, if they turn 22 in the year of the draft, or if they graduate within three months of the draft. .

Although Auriemma has said he believes Bueckers should be able to make the draft after his first season, he also acknowledged that the current rules have helped his schedule and may benefit the player in the long run as well.

“Should she have the opportunity to go? Should that choice exist?” Auriemma, speaking to reporters on a Zoom conference call Wednesday, said of Bueckers. “Well if the WNBA and its players say ‘Yes’ then they should. But right now the answer is no. I agree with the answer which is yes. But I really like that the The answer is no, because that’s what helped our game to grow.

“The fact that these kids are staying in school a little longer, building a brand for themselves, building a brand for college.”

Bueckers, who became the first freshman to be named National Player of the Year by the Associated Press on Wednesday, leads the Huskies in points and assists. Many believe she would be the No.1 pick if she were eligible for the WNBA draft now.

Auriemma said he believes Bueckers is building his brand now. In addition to his performance on the field, his friendship with Gonzaga freshman star Jalen Suggs has garnered a lot of attention due to the two Minnesota natives’ playoff success, with their teams in their respective Final Fours. this week-end.

“Two kids from the same neighborhood, same background, same everything, go to school 3,000 miles apart, and their paths are 3,000 miles different,” Auriemma said. “One is going to have the opportunity to be the 1, 2, 3 pick in the NBA Draft and win millions and millions of dollars. And the other will be back at UConn.”

As with Bueckers, Auriemma said that another freshman helped build her brand this year: Caitlin Clark of Iowa, whom UConn faced in the Sweet 16.

“She would leave at the end of the year [if she were a men’s player]”Auriemma said of Clark, who has led the Division I women this season.” But she stays … she manages to build the Iowa brand nationwide. So I think that’s the beauty of women’s football. “

Auriemma also said he supports the idea that all players can monetize their popularity while still in school.

“While they’re in college, should they be able to benefit from it? Well, it’s coming, isn’t it? That’s the NIL. That these kids are going to be able to benefit from what ‘They do. Which is going to cause a whole different kind of thing When you recruit a kid it’s like … “Hi, coach, this is my agent. So tell me what I get. “

“Each school, depending on where you are, may be able to offer a child something different. So now you are becoming a professional sport, where all the best free agents all go to the same teams. But that doesn’t change my mind. that children should have a choice and that children should be compensated. “