Paige Bueckers, Geno Auriemma reaction to UConn title proves why fans will love her forever

Torn ACL, coming up short, and so much more, it's not been all sunshine and roses for UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers throughout her storied career in Storrs. But sometimes, the great ending to a story is all that matters. So with UConn capturing its first championship since 2016 under legendary head coach Geno Auriemma and Bueckers grabbing her first, it was the perfect ending.

Bueckers, along with monster games from Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, dominated South Carolina in Sunday's national championship bout, steamrolling the Gamecocks to an 82-59 victory. However, it was in the final minute and after the final buzzer when we saw how much this all meant to both the UConn star and her head coach.

Bueckers checked out of the game with under a minute to play and immediately came in for an emotional embrace with Auriemma, both of whom appeared to be moved to tears by the moment.

That wasn't all, though. With the title officially theirs after the 40 minutes of action, Holly Rowe caught up with Auriemma and he could barely muster the words about Bueckers, only being able to say that he loves her, which speaks to how special she's been for the game of basketball and, certainly, the UConn program.

Geno Auriemma, Paige Bueckers' reaction to UConn championship says everything about star

It doesn't take much to see why Bueckers had that type of impact, either. Not only did she arrive in Storrs as a star in the making before she ever touched the court wearing a Huskies uniform, but she had to endure hardships, falling short and so much more to get to this pinnacle moment. To see her triumph through that, and break a title drought for UConn, shows an indelible mark.

Her impact goes well beyond that, though. When Rowe, soon after speaking with Auriemma, caught up with Bueckers to get her reaction, you saw more of it. Though Bueckers was clearly overcome with emotion, she made sure to thank everyone from he teammates, to the assistant coaches, to the managers, to the trainers, and of course the fans. She wanted everyone to have the credit, not just her.

That's the mark of a leader and someone who was able to weather one storm after another to come out on top in the end. She's likely going to be on top again in the forthcoming 2025 WNBA Draft too, but that's a ways down the road. The goal was to not end up as the greatest UConn star to not win a title. That's no longer a concern.

Bueckers and UConn have finally tasted championship glory together. That's enough to put her in legendary status with the Huskies program, but it's everything else about the star that will make her beloved forever among the fans. And it's well deserved, as she showed up until the very end.