Twenty nine years ago, Geno Auriemma sat beside Robin Roberts and called the very first WNBA game ever broadcast on ESPN. Now, he is heading back to the booth to call a game featuring three of his own former players – Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, and Breanna Stewart. As exciting as it may sound, Wings guard Paige Bueckers knows exactly what to expect from her former coach on that night.

“Everything that I did wrong and everything I will do wrong in the game,” Bueckers said in an interview with ESPN when asked about her expectations. “Just glaring at the mistakes. It will be like a film session where he is just attacking me if I miss a box out, if I miss a defensive rotation, if I miss a shot, or if I make a turnover. Anything like that.

“Obviously, love Azzi, love Stewie, they are the best, and they don’t make mistakes. They are the perfect basketball players to ever grace this earth. That’s exactly what I am expecting.”

Auriemma will join Roberts and play-by-play lead Beth Mowins in the broadcast booth for ESPN’s July 7 coverage of the Dallas Wings vs. New York Liberty game at the Barclays Center. It’s a reunion that was three decades in the making. The two called the league’s very first broadcast together, a Utah Starzz win over the Los Angeles Sparks on June 23, 1997 and have not worked a game together since. The 30th anniversary celebration brings them back together.

What separates this from a nostalgic gesture is who is actually playing. Forward Breanna Stewart starts for the Liberty while guards Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd start for the Wings. All three are former UConn players who were No.1 overall draft picks and were shaped directly by the man now sitting behind the microphone.

Some context does matter here. Over 30 seasons, UConn has operated as the single most consistent feeder program into the WNBA. Auriemma sent Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi into a league that was still finding its footing. Both went on to define what the WNBA could be across the 2000s and 2010s.

Now, Bueckers and Fudd are in Dallas, Stewart anchors the Liberty, and a third generation of his players are actively reshaping the league again. And coach Auriemma is fully aware of what all of these means with this honest admission.

“I don’t have to coach them,” Auriemma said, as per The Dallas Morning News. “So I can say all the things I’ve always wanted to say about them. So, I’ m looking forward to it.

Bueckers’ expectations align with Auriemma’s own admission that he can now say things he’s always wanted to say. Auriemma coached the former No.1 pick with pressure, holding her to a standard that was relentlessly high and rarely acknowledged publicly. And Bueckers has been candid about that dynamic.

“He told me he loved me, I told him I hated him,” Bueckers said, as per 2adays.com. “But we both love each other even though we hate each other some days.”

Breanna Stewart also described the same approach on The Pivot Podcast.

“Coach Auriemma will try to break you to build you back up stronger,” Steward said.

Will this dynamic now soften as Auriemma holds the mic instead of a clipboard? That’s an interesting question the upcoming broadcast might answer, even though Auriemma’s track record suggests it will not. We can say, Auriemma loves strengthening his players with the ugly truth than a beautiful lie. But the coach has never failed to appreciate his prodigies, especially the new generation shining in the league right now.

Geno Auriemma Opens Up on the New Generation

For the past three decades, Geno Auriemma has stood like a pipeline between college basketball and the WNBA. He has molded legendary players like Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, who defined the 2000s and 2010s. Now he is doing the same with players like Paige Bueckers, Breanna Stewart, and Azzi Fudd.

“I think this group of players are at the forefront of the new generation of the WNBA, and there’s a lot riding on their shoulders,” Auriemma said as per The Dallas Morning News. “I’m proud of them, and I’m rooting for them.”

Even for Geno Auriemma, watching and analyzing three No. 1 draftees from his program playing in the same game would be an emotional moment as well. No doubt, the contest will be quite a tightrope walk, with two top teams squaring off.

The Dallas Wings and the New York Liberty have faced each other once earlier in the season. Paige Bueckers and the team won the game 91-76. Thus, the game on July 7 will be a shot at redemption for the New York Liberty at the Barclays Center.

However, before that special game, both teams have some crucial games ahead. Bueckers and the Dallas Wings will face a resilient Las Vegas Aces up next on June 25 at the Michelob Ultra Arena. Meanwhile, the Liberty will face the Seattle Storm on the same day at the Climate Pledge Arena.