A’ja Wilson’s close friend Michael McManus, widely known on social media as Deloris, reacted following the NCAA women’s Final Four matchup between the UConn Huskies and South Carolina Gamecocks on Friday, which concluded with Geno Auriemma involved in a heated confrontation with Dawn Staley, Wilson’s former coach.
Auriemma, who coached the defending champion UConn in its 62-48 defeat to Staley’s South Carolina, approached the Gamecocks bench in the closing moments, leading to a tense exchange between the two coaches that required assistants to step in and separate them.
In a post on X, Deloris labeled Auriemma “classless” and issued a strong accusation:
“Geno is a classless piece s**t who has built his legacy on sabotaging black head coaches. F**K HIM.”
After the game, Staley was asked about the incident with Auriemma and instead directed the question toward the nine-time AP Coach of the Year and eight-time Naismith Coach of the Year.
“You can ask Geno the question,” Staley said. “He’s the one that intiated the conversation. I don’t what happened there to dampen what we were able to accomplish today.”
Ta’Niya Latson led South Carolina with 16 points, while Agot Makeer added 14 off the bench, supported by Joyce Edwards with 11 and Tessa Johnson with 10 in the win.
For UConn, projected 2026 WNBA draft top pick Azzi Fudd struggled, finishing with just eight points on 3-of-15 shooting. Only Sarah Strong (12 points on 4-of-16 shooting) and Ashlynn Shade (10 points on 5-of-11 shooting) reached double figures.
Dawn Staley Says She Has No Idea What Triggered Geno Auriemma’s Outburst
After the game, ESPN’s Holly Rowe asked Dawn Staley what led to the late-game incident, and the Gamecocks coach said she was unsure.
“I’m of integrity,” she said. “So if I did something to wrong to Geno, I have no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn’t know.
“I went down there pre-game and shook everybody on his staff’s hand. I don’t know where he came with after the game.”
During the broadcast, Auriemma criticized the officiating, pointing to a stretch where UConn was called for six fouls while the Gamecocks were assessed only one in the same quarter. He also noted that, aside from struggling offensively, his players were dealing with physical defense.
