Geno Auriemma has had a long time to think since his altercation with South Carolina Gamecocks Women’s Basketball Head Coach Dawn Staley went viral during their crunch NCAA Tournament tie last month.
At the time, much was made about how Auriemma reacted on the court, and the general consensus among fans, players and experts was that the UConn head coach had crossed a line and needed to apologize for his actions.
Things did calm soon after the storm, but it’s clear that all wounds haven’t healed ever since. Plenty of things have come out since the incident, and Auriemma’s own legacy at the highest level of college basketball has been questioned by some, which doesn’t seem to have gone down too well with the legendary women’s coach.
“I didn’t see a lot of it,” Auriemma said, speaking about the noise in the media about the incident.
“But that’s to be expected. I think that maybe some of it was warranted and some of it was people have been lying and waiting for that moment. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done for the game, it’s what you’ve just did and unfortunately that’s the world that we live in today, and it usually is one sided.”
Geno Auriemma later confirmed that he’s moving on from the incident and that he isn’t concerned about his legacy because of the altercation, but it’s clear that he does seem to be impacted at some level by what people have said about him.
Dawn Staley’s Statement About the Incident
Dawn Staley was visibly taken aback by Auriemma’s actions during the final four clash, but she came out a few days later with a statement that suggested both the coaches had spoken and seemingly straightened things out.
“I spoke with Geno, and I want to be clear — I have a great deal of respect for him and what he’s meant to this game. One moment doesn’t define a career, and it doesn’t change the impact he’s had on growing women’s basketball,” Staley said.
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