Geno Auriemma led the UConn Huskies to another supremely impressive season last year. Despite Paige Bueckers’ departure to the WNBA, Geno’s Huskies did not skip a beat. Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong led the team and the results showed that they did not miss Bueckers that much. Unfortunately they could not become national champions at the end.
The Huskies suffered a heartbreaking blowout loss in the Final Four. Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks snatched UConn’s 38-game winning streak with a 62-48 win. The game was the testament to how well the two coaches know each other. Dawn completely outplayed Geno which drew the infamous crashout. Geno, then, apologised for his reaction and sorted things out with coach Staley who respects so much.
The loss really affected Geno and co. Their unbeaten season came to a finish with a 14 point loss. This was Azzi Fudd’s last game in college basketball. This meant that UConn’s baton for leadership was passed on to Sarah Strong. She is set to play her junior year. Geno shared how the Final Four loss changed Sarah Strong.
“That’s gonna take time because she didn’t practice much in March… Just trying to get her to be 100% come October. Being a vocal, demonstrative kind of leader doesn’t come natural to her. She’s more laid back and more quiet,” coach Auriemma answered when asked about Sarah Strong’s leadership skills.
“But I sense that she’s more intentional with what she says, who she says it to. And I do think she understands there’s being unselfish and then there’s winning. That game left a lasting impression on her,” Geno concluded.
UConn Huskies’ team for next season
With Azzi Fudd becoming the number one pick in WNBA draft, the Huskies leadership is now Sarah Strong’s responsibility. Geno has often shared his desire from Strong to become more vocal and more selfish with the ball. For next season, despite losing Fudd, Geno still has a lot of quality on that roster.
The Huskies added French international Marine Dursus, Croatian 6’4″ center Olivia Vukosa and Serbian point guard Jovana Popovic. They have not added any players from the transfer portal.
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