Legendary University of Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma has reached the pinnacle of college basketball for a record 12th time, but he’s not ready to call it a career just yet.
The 71-year-old Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer spoke about his future on Monday on "TODAY," one day after his Huskies cut down the nets in celebration of their first NCAA women’s basketball title since 2016. Their 12 national titles are now the most of any men’s or women’s college basketball team in history.
“Who knows when that morning I wake up and I just say, ‘Listen, I can’t do it anymore,’” Auriemma said. “But I don’t see that being tomorrow morning, let’s put it that way.”
UConn’s 82-59 rout of defending national champion South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament final on Sunday came 30 years after Auriemma’s first national title with the Huskies. He’s already thinking about pursuing title No. 13.
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“I think when you have the kind of work experience that I have, every day I’m surrounded by people who are alive, they’re young, they’re moving, they’re growing, and you get swept up in all that,” Auriemma said. “I’m 71 by numbers, but I don’t know that I feel that because every day I’m surrounded by young people.
“They can call me ‘Gramps’ or ‘Pops’ or whatever they want to call me, but at the end of the day I feel like I’m having an impact on them, and they’re having an impact on me.”
One player Auriemma particularly helped is star guard Paige Bueckers.
The two shared an emotional hug in the final moments of the win over South Carolina after a journey in which Bueckers rebounded from a torn ACL that caused her to miss an entire season to finish her career as a champion and the third-leading scorer in UConn history.
“It was a moment of, ‘Man, this kid’s been through a lot,’” Auriemma said about the hug. “Starting school during the pandemic, playing in the bubble, knee injuries, missing a whole year, and now here she is going out the way every kid that’s ever picked up a basketball wishes their career could end — winning a national championship.
“It was a very emotional moment. I tried to get her to say ‘I love you,’ but it came out very, very, very grudgingly,” he joked.
Bueckers finished with 17 points in her final collegiate game and helped the Huskies earn a measure of revenge after they lost to South Carolina in the 2022 national championship game. Bueckers now awaits the WNBA draft in New York City on April 14, where she is the presumptive No. 1 overall pick.
Just as the chapter on Bueckers has closed at UConn, another legendary career for the Huskies appears to be just getting started. Freshman Sarah Strong poured in 24 points in the win over South Carolina, tying her with teammate Azzi Fudd for the game high in scoring. Strong’s 114 points in the NCAA Tournament were the most by a freshman in Division I history.
Fudd has also announced that she is returning to UConn next season to use her final year of eligibility, meaning the Huskies will once again be stocked with talent for a run at back-to-back titles.