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HomeLocalGeno Auriemma: Championing the Future of Women's Basketball at UConn

Geno Auriemma: Championing the Future of Women’s Basketball at UConn

 

 

Geno Auriemma propelled women’s basketball forward by remaining at UConn


Geno Auriemma advanced women’s basketball by choosing to stay put.

 

As Auriemma racked up wins and national championships at UConn, he could have easily transitioned to men’s coaching roles. Oklahoma and Miami both pursued him at different times. He was also named as a potential successor when Jim Calhoun retired and when Kevin Ollie was let go.

He considered switching careers and nearly did so once. However, Auriemma, now recognized as the most successful coach in college basketball history, never felt the need to coach men to prove his worth or expertise. He never regarded himself merely as a “women’s basketball” coach, nor did he see his players as solely “women’s basketball” players.

To him, he was just a coach—a very skilled one—no matter who played for him.

By choosing not to pursue coaching men, Auriemma helped elevate the status of women’s basketball. He could have taken a coaching position anywhere, but he opted to remain within women’s athletics because he saw no better opportunity.

 

“It’s crucial that coaching women is not viewed as a stepping stone, nor should coaching men be deemed superior,” said television analyst Rebecca Lobo, Auriemma’s first major star who led UConn to its first national championship and an undefeated season in 1995, in an interview with YSL News Sports.

 

“His commitment to the women’s game has shown that it’s not better to coach men over women.”

 

It shouldn’t take one person’s long-term commitment to establish credibility for women’s sports. Yet the perception of female athletics being inferior to men’s has lingered for far too long. Men’s programs often benefitted from superior facilities, more extensive resources, and larger audiences, which led many to conclude that coaching men was more prestigious. This was also reflected in higher salaries.

 

Auriemma’s unwavering support for women’s sports, alongside his insistence that his program be regarded with the same seriousness as men’s teams, provided a substantial boost for those who required validation. He championed the women’s game when influential figures, particularly men, were less supportive.

“People often pay more attention when Coach Auriemma speaks about women’s sports—and that made his perspective incredibly significant,” said Sue Bird, who secured two titles and the national player of the year award at UConn, to YSL News Sports.

 

When Auriemma took over UConn in 1985, it wasn’t exactly a powerhouse in women’s basketball. In the eleven years prior, the Huskies had only one winning season and were still competing in a small arena with fewer than 5,000 seats.

By Auriemma’s second year, the team had a winning record, and by the fourth year, they qualified for the NCAA Tournament. In just his sixth year, they made it to the Final Four.

“Perhaps another aspect is that we achieved success under conditions where we didn’t receive much support. In fact, some of our toughest challenges came from within the campus itself,” Auriemma shared last week. “But we managed. We persevered.”

Auriemma’s accomplishments—the Huskies bagging 11 national titles under his leadership and UConn’s latest win marking his 1,217th victory, making him the most successful college basketball coach ever—afforded him significant leverage. He could demand resources that few women’s teams had at their disposal, and UConn responded positively.

 

Top-notch facilities. Additional support staff. Charter flight arrangements.

“We started from ground zero, and this is how far we’ve come,” Auriemma stated.

Other institutions began to take notice, especially when UConn began to challenge Tennessee’s long-standing dominance in women’s basketball.

When Pat Summitt and Tennessee were the uncontested leaders in the sport, there was little that could be done to compete with a coach of such caliber who also attracted the best players. But Auriemma’s success was a game changer for everyone involved.

 

“Over the years, we fostered an environment that prompted athletic directors and university presidents to look at our achievements and ask their coaches, ‘Why can’t we achieve this as well?’ Initially, it was a question of desire, as they had all the resources we lacked, but often they simply didn’t want to,” Auriemma noted.

 

“I believe we have driven a change whereby they had to invest in women’s sports because it became so valuable to everyone involved.”

 

Look at the current landscape of women’s basketball. According to YSL News Sports, 18 coaches were earning over $1 million last year, with LSU’s Kim Mulkey leading at $3.264 million. Auriemma and Dawn Staley trailed closely with salaries of $3.1 million each.

The list of serious title contenders has expanded significantly. Facilities and support services have seen major improvements, and numerous top-tier schools are now flying charters.

Remarkably, last year’s NCAA championship game, featuring Caitlin Clark and Iowa facing Dawn Staley’s South Carolina team, attracted more viewers than the men’s final for the first time—18.7 million compared to the men’s 14.8 million.

“He truly deserves recognition,” commented North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart regarding Auriemma. “With him, it’s never a condescending attitude like it can sometimes be with men—he uplifts others and has taken many along with him.”

 

While not all advancements can be credited solely to Auriemma, his dedication to women’s basketball—despite having the opportunity to coach elsewhere—has significantly contributed to the sport’s growth and increased recognition.

At 70 years old, Auriemma has not publicly disclosed how much longer he plans to coach. However, it is clear that upon his retirement, the women’s game will be in a much stronger position, thanks to his decision to remain involved.