Was Geno Auriemma taking a shot at Caitlin Clark by calling Paige Bueckers ‘the best player in America’?

Hmm.

Now, look: Caitlin Clark is amazing. Paige Bueckers is also amazing. We could leave it at that.

But legendary UConn coach Geno Auriemma might be playing some mind games, especially now that women’s March Madness is in full swing.

Bueckers led the Huskies to a win over Syracuse in the second round on Monday wit a 32-10-6 game. Afterwards, Auriemma declared she was “the best player in America,” basing it on the analytics and such.

Now: was that a shot at Clark? Especially if they meet later in the tourney? Or was it a way to pump up Bueckers?

I’d say the latter, probably. But you make the call:

Was Geno Auriemma taking a shot at Caitlin Clark by calling Paige Bueckers ‘the best player in America’?

Hmm.

Now, look: Caitlin Clark is amazing. Paige Bueckers is also amazing. We could leave it at that.

But legendary UConn coach Geno Auriemma might be playing some mind games, especially now that women’s March Madness is in full swing.

Bueckers led the Huskies to a win over Syracuse in the second round on Monday wit a 32-10-6 game. Afterwards, Auriemma declared she was “the best player in America,” basing it on the analytics and such.

Now: was that a shot at Clark? Especially if they meet later in the tourney? Or was it a way to pump up Bueckers?

I’d say the latter, probably. But you make the call:

UConn celebrated Geno Auriemma’s 70th birthday with hilariously customized shirts after first-round win

Now this is a great way for UConn to celebrate Geno Auriemma’s 70th birthday.

After the team’s opening-round victory over Jackson State in the 2024 women’s NCAA tournament on Saturday, the UConn women’s basketball team celebrated its head coach in a very spirited manner.

As it was longtime Huskies coach Geno Auriemma’s 70th birthday, the team wore customized shirts after the win to celebrate the coach and poke a little fun at him in the process.

Shirts included funny photos of Auriemma and one of the character Carl Fredrickson from the Pixar film Up.

This was a very funny way for UConn to honor its legendary basketball coach as the team attempts to win another national title.

We’ll see how far Auriemma’s team can get in what should be a very competitive women’s NCAA tournament this year.

With heavy hitters like South Carolina, USC and Iowa also contending this spring, it’s going to be a tough task for Auriemma’s team to win another championship for the school.

If they do, it’ll be a heck of a way to celebrate Auriemma’s 70th birthday season in style.

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Paige Bueckers isn’t going pro quite yet, will play 2024-25 season for UConn

Head coach Geno Auriemma learned about Paige Bueckers returning to school at the same time as everyone else in the arena.

On Friday night, University of Connecticut guard Paige Bueckers announced she’s returning to school for the 2024-25 season and forgoing entering the 2024 WNBA draft. During the senior night ceremony, Bueckers made the announcement after a Huskies win.

“I know everybody wants me to address the elephant in the room,” Bueckers said. “Unfortunately, this will not be my last senior night here at UConn.”

Head coach Geno Auriemma learned about Bueckers’ return at the same time as everyone else in the arena. However, he was not surprised that she would return.

“Paige is very, very bad at making decisions. When we were recruiting her, I had to threaten her because she couldn’t decide,” Auriemma said.

Bueckers explained why she was making the return.

“Just the family camaraderie here, just loving it here, loving my teammates, loving my coaches, me not having the four years that I planned on, not being able to play as much,” Bueckers said when asked by SNY about her decision. “I just feel like I’m not done yet here. I feel like God is still writing my story here. I’m just blessed to be a part of this program, and I never want it to end.”

Bueckers was projected to be a top 2024 WNBA draft pick, so teams will need to reprioritize their choices. The draft will be held on April 15.

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Geno Auriemma cracked a fitting ATM joke about stacking up more wins after hitting historic 1,200 wins milestone

We’ve never heard getting more wins be equated to withdrawing money, but it kind of works.

UConn women’s basketball has been going through a transformational season. Injuries have seemingly changed expectations and the team’s trajectory moving forward. Yet, under the guidance of head coach Geno Auriemma, the team is still maintaining its winning ways. Auriemma is now the third coach in NCAA Division I basketball history to get to 1,200 wins.

The 2023-2024 season has not exactly gone as planned for UConn women’s basketball. Despite star guard Paige Bueckers returning, the team lost Azzi Fudd, Aubrey Griffin and several other players to injuries. That reality has forced Bueckers and Geno Auriemma to reevaluate the team’s future. Add in the changing NIL landscape, which did not sit well with Auriemma, and the season has been all about adjusting and creating a new norm.

But Auriemma is still managing to thrive in the chaos. On Wednesday, he coached his way to 1,200 wins, joining Mike Krzyzewski and Standford’s Tara Van Derveer as the only three coaches in NCAA Division I basketball history to reach the milestone.

Overall, Auriemma was seemingly very grateful for the moment and happy with the achievement, but postgame, he did manage to crack a joke about if he will solely own the record for most wins.

Here’s what he said:

“I would think more along the lines of single digits, not hundreds. This isn’t a casino ATM, you know? They spit out hundreds. It’s been my philosophy since the beginning that there isn’t a number that I’m searching for…that I’m trying to reach. There is no whale that I’m chasing and obsessed over. When it’s over, it’s over. And, whatever the number is at that time is what it’s going to be…I could probably say with a great deal of certainty that I’ll never be No. 1 in wins…”

Geno Auriemma takes not-so-subtle shot at NIL era athletes in pointed rant about recruiting challenges

In a new rant, Geno Auriemma called out NIL era athletes. His words eventually prompted Angel Reese to defend a fellow player.

UConn women’s basketball head coach Geno Auriemma is in hot water after sharing his thoughts on how NIL deals have impacted the college landscape.

For many years, there has been much chatter about whether college athletes should be compensated for using their name, image and likeness (NIL). Universities nationwide have profited from stellar athletes (like Caitlin Clark) who draw attention and dollars to sports programs. That has prompted those same athletes to argue that they should see part of the money, spurring a massive culture-shifting movement for the foreseeable future.

However, some coaches don’t see it that way and are struggling to adjust to the impact NIL deals have made on their jobs, especially when it comes to recruiting and maintaining talent. Uconn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma recently shared what he feels are challenges in this new era.

Many fans quickly pieced together that he was seemingly taking a swipe at Lauren Park-Lane of Mississippi State when he mentioned Seton Hall during a press conference on January 13. She transferred from Seton Hall to Mississippi State after her 2022-23 season. The dig at Park-Lane prompted a response from the player herself.

As Auriemma’s words went through basketball circles, Park-Lane’s strength and conditioning coach and LSU star Angel Reese also responded, jumping in to defend the senior guard.

To be clear, Geno Auriemma is not wrong for sharing his thoughts, but coaches will never be able to have a nuanced conversation about the NIL era if they single out players or make sweeping assumptions about why a player may transfer.

Connecticut’s Azzi Fudd will miss the rest of the 2023-24 season

The Huskies guard will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL and a medial meniscal tear in her right knee.

Connecticut guard Azzi Fudd will miss the rest of the 2023-24 season after she suffered an ACL tear and a medial meniscal tear in her right knee, the school announced on Wednesday.

The junior suffered the injury in a practice session on November 14. She will undergo season-ending surgery to repair the damage.

“We’re all just so upset for Azzi,” head coach Geno Auriemma said in a statement. “She worked so hard to be healthy for this season, and it’s unfortunate when you put in a lot of hard work and suffer a setback like this.”

This is Fudd’s third major injury in three years with the Huskies. She only played 25 games as a freshman after dealing with a foot injury, and she played 15 games as a sophomore after knee injuries again sidelined her.

“Azzi loves the game and works tirelessly,” Auriemma said. “I’m confident she’ll rehab with the same work ethic and come back better than ever.”

Geno Auriemma went on a brilliant, expletive-laden rant against calling UConn a ‘redeem team’

“How about we just shut the [expletive] up and win games?”

Few people in Women’s college basketball understand the basic concept of winning more than Geno Auriemma. The legendary UConn coach is third all-time in wins (1,093) and can potentially surpass the two people ahead of him — Pat Summit and Tara VanDerveer — by the end of next season.

And with an injured UConn trying to improve upon a disappointing Sweet 16 finish last season, it’s understandable if Auriemma has his eyes on two prizes — a 12th National Championship and sole possession of the all-time wins record.

That’s not why he’s seemingly not buying into any narratives that detract from basic basketball success. Not even the idea of a “redeem team” for a UConn squad that may have fallen short primarily due to its health issues.  For Auriemma: Enough talk, just win games.

(Warning: NSFW language in the video below.)

Phew. That is a coach clearly really UNHAPPY with how his team’s being talked about. Historically, UConn might be a preeminent blue blood. But great blue bloods — ones who win championships, anyway — don’t necessarily carry themselves as if that label means anything. Or as if looking into the past has any bearing on the future. (It almost never does.)

They’re just talented and play hard and together and scrap and claw for every win. For a team entering the 2023-2024 season as one of the title favorites, Auriemma knows that fact better than anyone. That makes this classic rant a vintage coach rant from someone who wants their team purely focused on the road ahead.

March Madness: A look at the women’s NCAA championship history

A look back at the Women’s NCAA tournament history.

The first four games of the 2023 March Madness Women’s tournament start Wednesday and Thursday, March 15-16. This will be the 42nd women’s tournament in NCAA history.

The first Division 1 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship tournament took place in 1982. The matchup was between Louisiana Tech, who ended up being crowned champion, and Cheyney State. It was not the first championship game to be played in the sport, but it was the first to be held under the auspices of the NCAA.

Cheyney State also made history, although, they didn’t quite know it yet. They were the only HBCU to make it to the championship game and to the Final Four. They remain the only HBCU to make it to the championship to this day.

Howard University and Jackson State also appeared in the 1982 tournament, but only Cheyney State made it to the last dance. Since then, 19 HBCU women’s basketball programs have played in the March Madness bracket. Hampton has the most appearances in the tournament for an HBCU with 9 appearances, but have yet to win a game.

The University of Tennessee and the University of Connecticut have dominated the championships with eight and 11 national titles, respectively.

Year Champion Coach Record Runner-Up
2022 South Carolina Dawn Staley 35-2 UConn
2021 Stanford Tara VanDerveer 31-2 Arizona
2020 Canceled*
2019 Baylor Kim Mulkey 37-1 Notre Dame
2018 Notre Dame Muffet McGraw 34-3 Mississippi State
2017 South Carolina Dawn Staley 33-4 Mississippi State
2016 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 38-0 Syracuse
2015 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 38-1 Notre Dame
2014 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 40-0 Notre Dame
2013 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 35-4 Louisville
2012 Baylor Kim Mulkey 40-0 Notre Dame
2011 Texas A&M Gary Blair 33-5 Notre Dame
2010 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 39-0 Stanford
2009 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 39-0 Louisville
2008 Tennessee Pat Summitt 36-2 Stanford
2007 Tennessee Pat Summitt 34-3 Rutgers
2006 Maryland Brenda Frese 34-4 Duke
2005 Baylor Kim Mulkey 33-3 Michigan State
2004 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 31-4 Tennessee
2003 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 37-1 Tennessee
2002 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 39-0 Oklahoma
2001 Notre Dame Muffet McGraw 34-2 Purdue
2000 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 36-1 Tennessee
1999 Purdue Carolyn Peck 34-1 Duke
1998 Tennessee Pat Summitt 39-0 Louisiana Tech
1997 Tennessee Pat Summitt 29-10 Old Dominion
1996 Tennessee Pat Summitt 32-4 Georgia
1995 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 35-0 Tennessee
1994 North Carolina Sylvia Hatchell 33-2 Louisiana Tech
1993 Texas Tech Marsha Sharp 31-3 Ohio State
1992 Stanford Tara VanDerveer 30-3 Western Kentucky
1991 Tennessee Pat Summitt 30-5 Virginia
1990 Stanford Tara VanDerveer 32-1 Auburn
1989 Tennessee Pat Summitt 35-2 Auburn
1988 Louisiana Tech Leon Barmore 32-2 Auburn
1987 Tennessee Pat Summitt 28-6 Louisiana Tech
1986 Texas Jody Conradt 34-0 USC
1985 Old Dominion Marianne Stanley 31-3 Georgia
1984 Southern California Linda Sharp 29-4 Tennessee
1983 Southern California Linda Sharp 31-2 Louisiana Tech
1982 Louisiana Tech Sonja Hogg 35-1 Cheyney

*Canceled due to COVID-19 Pandemic

This coincides with the women’s college basketball coaches with the most wins in Division I, with legends Tara VanDerveer, Geno Auriemma, and Pat Summit, taking the top three spots.

* = Active coach

With the action shortly underway in this year’s tournament, we must take a moment to recognize and respect the history. This is only the second year the women’s tournament was given the rights to use the term March Madness in connection with their championship tournament, with much credit going to Oregon’ Sedona Prince and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley for bringing light to the inequity.

For years the NCAA only used the term March Madness, which is the intellectual property of the association, in relation to the men’s tournament. The influx of investment because of the use that the term March Madness brings to the women’s game cannot be understated.

On Tuesday, ESPN announced they had “sold out of in-game sponsorship opportunities for the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.” This continues to show more brands are flocking to the women’s game.

THE BRACKETS ARE BACK: The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back. $1 MILLION grand prize for a perfect bracket.

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With South Carolina’s victory over UConn, Geno Auriemma suffered his first-ever loss in a Championship Game

Geno finally has a blemish on the big stage.

Few coaches will ever be able to compare their success to Geno Auriemma.

Since taking over UConn in the mid-1990s, Auriemma has taken the Huskies on an all-time quarter-century-plus run. Over 1,100 wins. 22 Final Four’s. A pipeline of countless larger-than-life stars who first made their hay under his tutelage.

But between the victories and overall program development, Auriemma could most hang his hat on one specific, unimpeachable mark: An 11-0 record in National Championship Games. Undefeated. A big fat zero in the loss column every time his team has reached the last boss of the last level. It’s an incredible achievement.

It’s also something Auriemma and all of his past players should be proud of because it’s finally over. With South Carolina’s 64-69 win over UConn in the Women’s National Championship, Auriemma has his first-ever title game defeat.

It took over 27 years, and Aliyah Boston and Dawn Staley paired together, but someone was finally able to overcome the UConn title game hex.

In a smaller but still notable sidenote: This is also now UConn’s longest championship drought with Auriemma. How long? Uh, six years (2016-TBD). Okay, first, you can stop rolling your eyes. Half a decade is a long time for the Huskies and this great coach.

At a certain point, Auriemma and Co. would always meet their maker. Playing for that many championships is testing fate and the luck of the draw. But that it took this long and 12 tries (!!!) for him to fall short at the last step is beyond commendable. We will likely never see this kind of impeccable record, with that much consistent excellence in the clutch, in any sport, ever again.

Hats off to Auriemma, every player with Connecticut over the years, and the official end of a legendary sports record.

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