Things didn’t go down well as the game was winding down between South Carolina and UConn in the Final Four. The Huskies were defeated 62-48.
In the face of defeat, Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma moved towards Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley not for the handshake but to say something provoking. Staley was angry after Auriemma said something to her, resulting in a heated confrontation between the two at the sidelines. The two had to be separated as they continued to aim words at each other.
The feud is now going viral on the internet, as it was rare to see two well-respected coaches go on a rant against each other. In the post-game press conference, Staley reacted to the incident, asking the reporters to ask Auriemma the question about the heated confrontation.
“You can ask Geno the question, he’s the one that initiated the conversation. I don’t want what happened to dampen what we were able to accomplish today,” Staley told reporters.
Why Geno Auriemma Was Unhappy With South Carolina HC Dawn Staley
Geno Auriemma was unhappy with Dawn Staley for a couple of reasons.
Auriemma accused Staley of not coming to greet him before the game. The Gamecocks’ head coach allegedly made Auriemma wait for the customary pregame handshake.
“The protocol is, before the game, you meet at halfcourt, anybody ever see that before?” Auriemma said. “The two coaches meet at halfcourt and they shake hands… they announce it on the loud speaker. I waited there for like three minutes.”
It was later proven that Auriemma’s claim was false since the handshake actually happened. Staley also mentioned the same in her press conference.
“I have no idea. But I’mma let you know this: I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did,” Staley said. “I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn’t know, I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand, I don’t know what he came with after the game. But hey, sometimes things get heated, we move on.”
Auriemma was also unhappy with the physical style of play from Staley’s South Carolina. He accused Staley partly for raving so much from the sidelines that the officials started to ignore calls against his team in the third quarter.
“There were six fouls called that (third) quarter, all of ’em against us,” Auriemma said. “And they’ve been beating the s– out of our guys down there the entire game. Now I’m not making excuses because we haven’t been able to make a shot, but this is ridiculous. Their coach rants and raves on the sideline, and calls the referees some names you don’t wanna hear. And now we got six to zero, and I got a kid with a ripped jersey and (the refs) say, ‘I didn’t see it.'”
It’s never a good sight when two well-respected coaches go on a rant against each other. Maybe the reactions were heightened because of the importance of the game.
Read More News:
Geno Auriemma Drops Cryptic Response on Animated Altercation With Dawn Staley
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in baseball, tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
