The same mouth that makes Geno Auriemma one of women’s college basketball’s most engaging personalities is the same one that landed him in hot water at the Final Four.
The Hall of Fame UConn coach admitted to a “dumb” outburst directed toward South Carolina coach Dawn Staley after the Gamecocks ended the Huskies’ undefeated season last month.
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“When I walked into the locker room afterward with the coaches, you are just shaking your head, thinking five more seconds, you couldn’t keep it in for five more seconds,” Auriemma said, according to ESPN. “You just feel like a dumbass for the way that it played out. We are all human, and we all do dumb s–t.”
Geno Auriemma opening up to Dawn Staley after the Final Four. AP
Perhaps the only thing more shocking than UConn losing its perfect season in a 62-48 loss to South Carolina in a massive upset was how Auriemma handled the stunning defeat.
As the two coaches shook hands, Auriemma gave Staley a piece of his mind, mentioning how he had to wait around before the contest for the pregame handshake.
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Staley erupted and held to be held back while she threatened to “beat Geno’s ass.”
Auriemma, 72, apologized the next day and a few day later revealed that he publicly offered an apology to Staley, whose program rivals the Huskies in the sport.
“This morning, Dawn Staley and I spoke about our interaction after the game last Friday. I apologized to Dawn, her staff and her team,” Auriemma said in a statement. “I’ve lost more games in the Final Four than any coach in history. But on Friday I lost something more important. I lost myself.
“Those who know me know I have nothing but respect and admiration for the game and the coaches who coach it. Dawn and her team deserved to win, and they deserved better from me.
“Women’s basketball deserved better. My university, my athletes, my former players and our fans deserved better. Dawn and I have agreed to move on, and we hope the focus will shift back to the growth in women’s basketball. The game deserves it.”
Dawn Staley threatened to “beat Geno’s ass” after the interaction. Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Auriemma received plenty of scorn for his actions, and the talk about them mostly overshadowed the actual outcome of the game.
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He understands why he would be chastised.
“I didn’t see a lot of it, but that is to be expected,” Auriemma said, per ESPN. “I think maybe some of it was warranted, and some of it was people have been lying in the weeds waiting for that moment. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done for the game; it is what you just did.
“Unfortunately, that is the world that we live in today, and it usually is one-sided. The people who understood what it was all about in a different light, they are not going to go on the air and say it. They are not going to write about it because now they are going against a major internet or media frenzy; they are not going to do that. I brought the criticism on myself. I didn’t bring the [stuff] that came after it on myself.”
