“Geno never came” – Caitlin Clark on never being recruited by Geno Auriemma to come to UConn originally appeared on Basketball Network.
When it comes to collegiate basketball dominance, the University of Connecticut Huskies women’s basketball team has set the bar. Although the team has had plenty of outstanding players wear the iconic blue and white jersey, head coach Geno Auriemma has always been the head of the snake.
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With a resume highlighted by 12 NCAA championships and the most wins among NCAA basketball coaches, any level, men’s or women’s, it’s not surprising that UConn can recruit the best women high school players into their program.
One player Auriemma and the Huskies surprisingly chose not to recruit aggressively was Caitlin Clark, now a global superstar and standout for the Indiana Fever. This decision puzzled Clark, as UConn had always been her dream school.
Conspicuous absence
Clark played high school basketball at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines under the tutelage of head coach Kristin Meyer. It didn’t take long for her to showcase her talents, averaging 15.3 points, 4.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game as a freshman.
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Soon, recruitment letters began pouring into the Clark household, and NCAA Division 1 coaches started flying in to witness her talent firsthand. Meyer noted that while many renowned coaches took their place in the bleachers, there was one notable exception.
“Geno never came,” she shared.
Clark confessed that being overlooked by UConn was a painful experience.
“Honestly, it was more I wanted them to recruit me to say I got recruited,” she revealed. “I loved UConn. I think they’re the coolest place on Earth, and I wanted to say I got recruited by them.”
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“They called my AAU coach a few times, but they never talked to my family and never talked to me,” she added.
Geno explained his decision
Several years later, as Clark established herself and the Hawkeyes as legitimate contenders in the NCAA, Auriemma spoke out about his decision not to recruit her.
It wasn’t that the 6-foot guard wasn’t on his radar. After all, ESPN ranked her as the fourth-best player in the class of 2020. However, at that time, UConn had already gained the commitment of the best high school player of that class, a fellow point guard by the name of Paige Bueckers.
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“I committed to Paige Bueckers very, very early and it would have been silly for me to say to Paige, ‘Hey, listen, we’re going to put you in the backcourt and then I’m going to try really hard to recruit Caitlin Clark.’ I don’t do it that way,” he remarked.
Auriemma believed Clark was a tremendous talent, even describing her as a “generational player.” However, he made the executive decision not to pursue her as he had already committed to giving the keys to the Huskies’ offense to Bueckers.
“I try to lock in on who fits us. We try to lock in on them early and that’s what happened to us and Paige,” he added. “We felt really, really comfortable with that and we went with it. Those are decisions that are made every day, every year, by every coach.”
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It’s fun to think about what could have been had Clark played for the Huskies and teamed up with the cream of the crop in collegiate basketball. At the same time, Geno shared a solid point. Had she played with Bueckers, she might not have developed into the superstar player that she is today.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
