UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma once weighed in on his challenges and looked back at his legendary coaching career. In Jan. 2019, Auriemma, who has a net worth of $18 million (per Celebrity Net Worth), was a guest on Brett Ledbetter’s show on the “What Drives Winning” YouTube channel, in which they had a question-and-answer forum in front of a crowd.
In one significant part of the forum, Auriemma was asked by Ledbetter about his infamous quote in an article by Wright Thompson. The former had said, “I got issues.” Auriemma went on to explain that these issues are a recurring theme with everyone, and it helps shape what the rest of one’s years may look like. In his case, he shared that there’s a lot to his head coaching job that goes on behind the scenes.
“Well, we all have issues… Let’s put it this way: how many people in this room are doing exactly what you set out to do your whole life? How many people said to themselves, ‘You know, when I’m whatever age, this is what I’m going to be doing. Ten years from now, this is what I’m going to be doing,'” Auriemma said (8:32).
He detailed that there will always be winners and losers in any field in life, no matter what.
“We all have things that happen in our lives that take us to where we are today. Some of us get really good at what we’re doing, and some of us struggle. That’s the other part of coaching. We celebrate all the coaches who win, but all the coaches who win are beating other coaches,” Auriemma added (9:33).
He continued:
“So there’s another side to coaching that a lot of people don’t talk about. The issue is, ‘Okay, so now that I’ve done this, what am I going to do? I want to do something else.’ What? ‘Well, you know, I just don’t want to be doing this anymore. I don’t want to coach anymore. Is that what my life is? Hanging around 18-year-olds, sitting in the gym in July, watching 18-year-old kids play basketball?'”
Auriemma and his UConn program concluded their 2024-25 campaign with flying colors by beating the 2024 national champions, the South Carolina Gamecocks, in this year’s NCAA championship game by 23 points, 82-59, to win their 12th national title in history.
The Huskies then continued their regular season dominance, ending the year with a 37-3 overall record (18-0 Big East).
When Geno Auriemma shared some of the internal conversations he has had with himself
Later in his explanation of his quote regarding his issues on Brett Ledbetter’s show, Geno Auriemma was asked by the host about some of the internal conversations he may have had with himself throughout the years he has been coaching the UConn Huskies.
Coach Auriemma said he lets go of a lot of things that are on his mind and always goes back to his purpose of coaching.
“The internal conversation is, ‘Wow, you know, I’ve been coaching for 42 years.’ I’m 64, so I’ve been coaching since I was 22. I’ve been doing it a long time.’ But I think as you go on and on and on and on through coaching, you sometimes get, you wake up one morning and you go, ‘Man, I’ve spent more time with other people’s kids than I have with my own kids, and those little bastards don’t even appreciate it,'” Auriemma said (10:33).
“I don’t say that out loud; I say that internally, right? And you say, ‘Well, it’s never about the money.’ But, I make a lot of money. So, I’m going to keep coaching. You have issues in understanding what reality is. We live in a fantasy world. We’ve lost three games in the last four years, all three of them in overtime. People go, ‘Oh, you can’t win close games. Terrible late-game situations,'” he concluded.
Auriemma and the Huskies are now looking to go back-to-back in the 2025-26 college basketball season, as they pursue their 13th national title, even with the likes of star Paige Bueckers and veteran transferee Kaitlyn Chen moving to the WNBA.
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