UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma once reflected on the lapses he had in his then 38-year tenure with his program. Back in March 2023, coach Auriemma was guested on the ‘What Drives Winning’ YouTube channel for an interview alongside Gonzaga Bulldogs coach Mark Few in front of a live audience.
In one moment of the guesting, coach Mark Few laid down the kind of standard Auriemma and the Huskies have had in the past decades when it comes to winning. Curious about the mindset and schemes that occur with UConn consistently being the No. 1-ranked program in the nation for several years, Few asked Auriemma about this to which the latter responded humbly with some of the mistakes that inadvertently lead to that.
“I have not done a good job of saying, ‘no,’ at times, and that’s one reason why we didn’t have any seniors this year because you fell into that trap of ‘I can take anybody and make them what I want them to be,’ ‘I can take anybody and put them in our culture, and they will become part of the culture of UConn basketball.’ It was a real reminder to me, I keep getting reminded because I keep making the same mistake over and over again,” Auriemma said. (6:46)
“I don’t make that mistake with the best players, but I do make that mistake with enough players that it has caught up to us in one sense. So being No. 1 all these years and playing at a real high level all these years is directly related to not making mistakes in recruiting with the best players. So, we may not have the best recruiting class in the country every year but either every year or ever other year, we get the best player in the country that fits Connecticut,” he continued.
In that season, which was the 2022-23 campaign, coach Auriemma and the Huskies finished with an overall record of 31-6 (18-2 Big East) and were eliminated in the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Sweet 16 of that year’s national tournament through a 73-61 loss. Luckily for the Huskies, they ended up winning their 12th national title two years later after an 82-59 national championship game win over the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Geno Auriemma is the winningest college basketball coach of all time
Back in Nov. of last year, as the 2024-25 season was just commencing, coach Geno Auriemma snagged his 1217th win as a college basketball head coach after the UConn Huskies defeated the FDU Knights, 85-41, at home. This made him the winningest college hoops coach of all time, surpassing legendary coach Tara VanDerveer, who had 1216 wins and even on the men’s side with Mike Krzyzewski at 1202 total.
As of writing, coach Auriemma has 1250 wins heading into the 2025-26 season.
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