There are few people who have spent as much time with Diana Taurasi as Geno Auriemma has.
Auriemma was Taurasi’s coach at UConn, where the pair won three consecutive national championships together, and her coach when she was an Olympian, earning three gold medals as a duo. But, even after all that time together, Geno seemingly struggled to fully digest the gravity of Diana’s career following her retirement.
“It’s hard to put into words—it really is—what this means,” he said in a statement.
“When someone’s defined the game—when someone’s had such an impact on so many people and so many places, you can’t define it with a quote. It’s a life that is a novel. It’s a movie. It’s a miniseries. It’s a saga.”
Here’s more from the UConn coach, praising his former player:
“It’s the life of an extraordinary person who, I think, had as much to do with changing women’s basketball as anyone who’s ever played the game. In my opinion, what the greats have in common is, they transcend the sport and become synonymous with the sport.”
“For as long as people talk about college basketball, WNBA basketball, Olympic basketball: Diana is the greatest winner in the history of basketball, period. I’ve had the pleasure of being around her for a lot of those moments, and she’s the greatest teammate I’ve ever coached. I’m happy for her and her family.
“At the same time, I’m sad that I’ll never get to see her play again, but I saw more than most.”
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: UConn’s Geno Auriemma rightfully praised Diana Taurasi following WNBA retirement
