TAMPA — In the last half-decade or so, illness, tragedy and general frustration have conspired to dissuade UConn coach Geno Auriemma from continuing his hall-of-fame career.
There was the 2021 NCAA Tournament, when he was forced to miss the Huskies’ first two games due to a positive COVID-19 test. Then in December 2022, his mother died. Toss in his team’s plethora of injuries in recent years, some physical ailments and his general frustrations over the logistics of the NCAA women’s tournament compared to the men’s, and Auriemma, 71, said he has pondered retirement often.
“I would say since Paige (Bueckers’) freshman year (2020-21), maybe even a year before that, I’ve quit five times every year,” Auriemma said Saturday. “I’ll go to practice and on my way home I go, ‘That’s it, I’m not going to go to practice tomorrow. I’m calling in sick for life. I’m out.’ ”
The Huskies’ latest national title quest seemingly has pulled Auriemma back in.
On the eve of Sunday afternoon’s NCAA final against reigning national champ South Carolina, Auriemma suggested he has been reinvigorated. The NCAA’s all-time winningest basketball coach (men or women), he can win his 12th national title Sunday at Amalie Arena.
“So how many more times can we do it? I don’t know. I don’t know,” Auriemma said. “But runs like this make you still feel relevant, you still have an impact.”
To be sure, revenue and roster stability has made life easier for Auriemma than some of his peers.
His stars (such as Bueckers, Azzi Fudd) generally stay home, and overwhelming booster support positions the program exceptionally from a name, image and likeness standpoint. UConn is the first public women’s college hoops program to report more than $3 million in annual ticket revenue ($3.25 million in 2023-24), according to Sportico.
“Kids still respond,” he said. “Our coaching staff is really, really good at what they do. And I’m fortunate enough to coach great kids who want to win for each other. There’s not a lot of drama on our team with all that NIL nonsense and guys that are halfway in the portal, halfway out during the season.
“I’m really, really fortunate of what I have. Because it stays like that, it’s very difficult to walk away from something like this. Very difficult.”
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