Geno Auriemma will go down in history as one of the greatest coaches in college basketball. During an interview with “60 Minutes,” which premiered on Mar. 7, 2004, the UConn legend shared the challenges he faced while coaching his female players.
Auriemma explained to broadcaster Morley Safer that he constantly needs to find the right balance between building up his players and telling his team the truth about their weaknesses and shortcomings.
“The line that a coach has to walk is: does your team right now need to be inflated, individually and collectively, even if it’s artificially? Or does your team need to be told the truth and knocked down?” Auriemma said (timestamp 7:58).
“Sometimes you say something to a player and today you’re right, and you say the same thing tomorrow and tomorrow you’re wrong. We’re talking to 12 women here, so you could be right at 11 in the morning and be wrong at 12:30 in the afternoon,” he added.
The interview with Auriemma was conducted ahead of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The UConn Huskies entered the Big Dance as the defending champions, having won back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003.
Auriemma and the Huskies continued their dominance in the 2004 March Madness, beating their opponents by an average of 17.5 points to claim their third consecutive national championship.
Auriemma’s coaching style has brought tremendous success to the Huskies, who went on to win seven more NCAA titles following their three-peat in 2004. UConn won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 before recording a historic four-peat from 2013 to 2016. Paige Bueckers, Sarah Strong, and Azzi Fudd helped the Huskies win their 12th national championship this year, as they crushed the South Carolina Gamecocks in the title game.
How Geno Auriemma’s UConn Fared in the 2004 NCAA Title Game vs Tennessee
Momentum was with Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies entering the final of the 2004 NCAA Tournament against Tennessee. They had defeated Pennsylvania, Auburn, UC Santa Barbara, and Penn State by an average of 21.8 points before beating Minnesota 67-58 in the Final Four. The Huskies entered the clash against the Lady Volunteers with a 17-game winning streak in the Big Dance.
UConn used a balanced attack to secure a 70-61 win over Tennessee in the national championship game. Four players scored in double figures for the Huskies, including Diana Taurasi, who dropped a team-high 17 points. She shot 6-for-11 from the floor, including 3-for-7 from the three-point area.
KEEP READING: When Geno Auriemma Turned a Joke About Lying in Interviews Into the Start of a UConn Legacy – “You’ve Got To Make Stuff Up”
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
