Just over a month ago in Phoenix, Geno Auriemma’s sideline behavior spoiled UConn women’s basketball’s season-ending loss in the Final Four.
In the closing moments of the Huskies’ defeat to South Carolina, the Hall of Fame coach drew attention by confronting Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley on the sideline. The exchange quickly grew heated, with both coaches shouting before assistants stepped in to separate them. When the final buzzer sounded, Auriemma left the court alone, skipping the customary postgame handshakes with South Carolina’s players and staff. He later stood by his actions in the postgame press conference, explaining that his reaction was fueled by the game’s physical nature and by Staley not greeting him with a handshake beforehand.
On Monday, Auriemma addressed the media for the first time following the national semifinal. He admitted he regretted how his altercation with Staley escalated and how it snowballed into a national storyline.
“You do things spur of the moment sometimes, but they usually come from things that have been building up for quite some time,” he said. “So, when I walked in the locker room afterwards with the coaches, it was, you know, (they’re) just shaking their head going, you know, ‘Five more seconds. You couldn’t keep it in for five more seconds?’ So, you know, you just feel like a dumbass for the way it played out. And, yeah, we’re all human, and we all do dumb s—.”
In the days following the Final Four, both Staley and Auriemma addressed the incident publicly. Auriemma first issued an apology the day after the loss, then followed up with another on Tuesday specifically directed at Staley. That same day, Staley released her own statement, noting that the two had spoken privately and encouraging the women’s basketball community to move past the situation.
