UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma once reflected on how he lied during the start of his storied program legacy. Back in Jan. 2019, Auriemma was a guest on ‘What Drives Winning’s YouTube channel, in which he was being interviewed in front of a crowd. Auriemma had a one-on-one conversation with host Bred Letbetter, in which they went through topics of how he became one of the greatest coaches of all time.
Letbetter then brought up the fact that people tend to do their best to prove themselves when they are on their way up. This caused coach Auriemma to look back at the start of his UConn career, way past his first national championship in 1995. Auriemma was appointed as the program’s main tactician in 1985 and has since had a legendary 40-year tenure at the helm of the program.
“I think when you get a job, when I first got a job, it was my first head coaching job, you know you look around and you say, ‘Well, I want to prove that I can win games, that I can actually do the job that they hired me for, especially when you lie during the interview process. You know that’s how you get jobs, you’ve got to make stuff up. You’re going in the interview and they say, ‘So, you know, blah blah blah,’ you say, ‘Guys, we’re gonna be in the top 20 in a couple years, don’t worry about it,'” he explained. (0:51)
“They had one winning season in the history of the program, the second-ever intramural program. It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen. And so, you know, I said, ‘We’re gonna be in the top 20 in a couple of years, don’t worry about it.’ And then they give you the job, and you walk out of there and you go, ‘Man, I’m screwed.’ You know, that’s it. So you figure, let’s just try to finish fourth,” Auriemma continued.
Currently, coach Auriemma and his Huskies team finished the 2024-25 season with an overall record of 37-3 (18-0 Big East). They broke a nine-year national title drought, winning the 2025 NCAA championship over the defending national champions, South Carolina Gamecocks, by 23 points, 82-59.
Geno Auriemma has won a record 12 national championships with the UConn Huskies
Geno Auriemma has turned the UConn Huskies into the winningest women’s college basketball program of all time, given that they have garnered the most wins and most national championships in NCAA history. In Auriemma’s 40-year tenure with the team, which is still ongoing, he has brought the team to a league-high 12 national championships, winning at least one national title in the last four decades.
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