Geno Auriemma’s Historic Victory: A Testament to Perseverance and Passion
TAMPA, Fla. — In a moment that will be etched in the annals of college basketball history, UConn coach Geno Auriemma humorously acknowledged his status as the oldest coach to clinch a Division I basketball title, whether in women’s or men’s categories, after his Huskies secured the program’s 12th championship on Sunday.
“Well, all those other coaches had the good sense to not stick around until they were 71,” Auriemma quipped following an 82-59 triumph over South Carolina at Amalie Arena.
For Auriemma, this victory was a return to a familiar stage. He previously celebrated his 10th championship in this very venue back in 2015. The following year, the Huskies claimed another title in Indianapolis, marking a fourth consecutive championship and the end of Breanna Stewart’s remarkable UConn career.
“There was a big part of my inner circle of people that I trust that were hoping that after the Stewie fourth in a row that I should have called it a day back then,” Auriemma reflected. “That would have been apropos, I guess — ride off into the sunset.”
But Auriemma wasn’t ready to hang up his coaching hat just yet. “You make the decision you’re not finished yet, and then three, four years go by, and people start telling you that UConn is not UConn anymore and it’s somebody else’s turn. And then five years go by, and six years go by, and seven years go by,” he continued.
Indeed, eight years and seven NCAA tournaments elapsed (with the 2020 tournament canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic) between the end of Stewart’s era and Sunday’s championship. During this period, UConn consistently reached the Final Four every year except 2023, when Paige Bueckers was sidelined with a knee injury. The championships, however, went to South Carolina (3), Notre Dame, Baylor, Stanford, and LSU.
In addition to Bueckers’ injury in the 2022-23 season, guard Azzi Fudd missed all but two games last season due to a knee injury, and the Huskies faced several other significant injuries to key players. UConn was not at full strength for the past three postseasons.
“For us it always seemed like, if we ever got a chance to get healthy, this could be pretty good,” Auriemma said.
And that was precisely the case on Sunday, as the Huskies defeated their third No. 1 seed in this tournament. UConn’s two Final Four victories were by a combined 57 points. Bueckers, Fudd, and freshman Sarah Strong earned spots on the all-tournament team, with Fudd being named the Final Four’s most outstanding player. The trio combined for 65 points against South Carolina and 57 against UCLA in the semifinals.
For Auriemma, the all-time winningest coach in college basketball with a record of 1,250-165, this marked his 24th Final Four appearance, and he now boasts a 12-1 record in championship games. The sole loss came in 2022 to South Carolina.
Auriemma’s birthday falls in March, making him 71 years and 14 days old on Sunday. The previous oldest coach to win the women’s title was Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer in 2021, at 67 years, 282 days. The oldest to win the men’s title is also from UConn: Jim Calhoun, who was 68 years, 329 days when the Huskies triumphed in 2011.
Auriemma half-seriously mentioned on Saturday that he had contemplated retirement multiple times each season over the past few years but always found reasons to stay.
“We all feel our age at some point,” he admitted. “We don’t like to admit that we’re older because we still act younger because of the people that we’re dealing with. A lot of my friends that are my age that haven’t done what I’ve done with who I’ve done it with … they look way older, act way older because they’ve lost the ability to be a kid because they’re not around kids.”
He continued, “So, yeah, I may be 71 number-wise, but I think otherwise I’m more able to do stuff with those young people because I’m around them every day and they rub off on me. Does that mean I can do this for another X number of years? No, because, you know, wine is good for you, too, and if you’re around it all the time, after a while you wake up and you go, ‘That was really bad, I had too much fun.’
“So these kids are fun. But there is going to come a time when the fun doesn’t eliminate how hard it is to do this job. This job is really hard to do.”
For now, though, it seems Auriemma is content to remain at the helm, a position he has held since taking over the UConn program in 1985. He credits the players for keeping him motivated.
“When I tell you it’s really out of your hands, it really is true,” he said. “All of this is in the hands of the players who are playing. And they made it all worthwhile today.”
Originally Written by: Michael Voepel
