{"id":541958,"date":"2026-04-05T12:04:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/541958\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T12:04:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:04:25","slug":"geno-auriemmas-exchange-with-dawn-staley-the-latest-in-string-of-coaching-rivalries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/541958\/","title":{"rendered":"Geno Auriemma\u2019s exchange with Dawn Staley the latest in string of coaching rivalries"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the end of Friday night\u2019s Final Four game, UConn coach Geno Auriemma had a tense exchange with South Carolina<\/a>\u2019s Dawn Staley as the Gamecocks were a second away from securing a trip to the national championship with a 62-48 victory<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It marked the third Final Four or national championship matchup between the two teams in the past five years, with South Carolina winning two of them and Friday\u2019s win over UConn snapping the Huskies\u2019 54-game winning streak. The coaches\u2019 conflict in Phoenix added another layer to an already-rich rivalry.<\/p>\n

Of course, Staley isn\u2019t Auriemma\u2019s first foil.<\/p>\n

In his 41 seasons, featuring 25 trips to the Final Four and 12 national championships, Auriemma has had a range of rivals, notably Tennessee coach Pat Summitt in the late 1990s to early 2000s and Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw in the early 2010s. He\u2019s also had some previous tense moments with Staley.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a rundown of Auriemma\u2019s history with his rivals:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Geno Auriemma and Pat Summitt\u2019s rivalry helped bring attention to women\u2019s basketball. (Damian Strohmeyer \/ Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Pat Summitt and Tennessee<\/p>\n

The Tennessee-UConn rivalry began in 1995 as an effort to nationally televise two of the game\u2019s biggest brands and elevate the sport, and UConn won its first clash on the way to an undefeated national championship. The two continued the annual rivalry over the next few years, and it was mostly dominated by the Volunteers, who won three straight national championships from 1996-98.<\/p>\n

As the century turned and UConn shifted the tides of the rivalry back to Storrs with four national championships between 2000 and 2004, Auriemma aimed verbal jabs at Summitt.<\/p>\n

At the 2000 Final Four in his hometown of Philadelphia, Auriemma was asked about the city\u2019s famous cheesesteak spots \u201cGeno\u2019s\u201d and \u201cPat\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPat\u2019s is older and more dilapidated,\u201d he joked to reporters, according to ESPN<\/a>. \u201cGeno\u2019s is bigger and brand-new.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through the years, he referred to Tennessee as \u201cthe Evil Empire\u201d and said Summitt \u201chates my guts.\u201d<\/p>\n

The contentious relationship seemed to reach a boiling point over the recruitment of future Hall of Famer Maya Moore. Auriemma said Summitt had accused him of cheating. He also said it was the reason Summitt ended their annual series before the 2007-08 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think she should just come out and say she\u2019s not playing us because she hates my guts,\u201d Auriemma told the Hartford Courant<\/a>. \u201cAnd I think people would buy that. Then everyone (who seeks a reason) would be happy. She should just say that (Auriemma is) a dope, a smart-ass, and then everyone could say that they agree with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

She referenced in a radio interview the importance of not cheating, and was then asked if she was referring to Tennessee men\u2019s basketball coach Bruce Pearl, who was facing investigations at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t have Bruce Pearl on my mind,\u201d she said. \u201cI probably had Connecticut on my mind<\/a>. There\u2019s a reason we don\u2019t play them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Summitt refused to face UConn in the regular season so long as Auriemma was the coach. The coaches both said their relationship improved through the years. But the programs didn\u2019t play again until 2018, after Summitt died due to complications from early-onset Alzheimer\u2019s disease in 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cPat set the standard for which programs like ours dreamed of achieving, both on and off the court,\u201d Auriemma said after Summitt\u2019s death. \u201cOur sport reached new heights thanks to her success, which came from an incomparable work ethic and a larger-than-life, yet compassionate personality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Auriemma led the all-time head-to-head series 13-9 and had a 5-2 record in tournament games.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Auriemma and Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw share a laugh before a 2017 game. (Cloe Poisson \/ Hartford Courant \/ Tribune News Service via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Muffet McGraw and Notre Dame<\/p>\n

In the 2010s, Notre Dame\u2019s Muffet McGraw became a new rival for Auriemma.<\/p>\n

Originally Big East foes, Notre Dame later joined the ACC and McGraw suggested the Huskies were ducking the Irish in scheduling. Auriemma responded by saying, \u201cIt\u2019s not nice for Muffet to fib during Lent,\u201d according to The Washington Post<\/a> reporting at the time.<\/p>\n

It was a shot in a war of words that led up to the 2014 national championship game between the undefeated Huskies (39-0) and Irish (37-0), which UConn won 79-58. McGraw mused over UConn\u2019s lack of foul calls.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s amazing: They committed the fewest fouls in the nation,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, they can be a really physical team and yet not manage to foul.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior to the 2014 national championship game, the Huskies had lost just 11 games in the previous six seasons. Six of those losses had been to the Irish before Notre Dame left the Big East.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a relationship,\u201d McGraw told reporters. \u201cI think that got lost. When we were in the same conference, I think there was a modicum of it, but I think after beating them and not feeling any respect from that, we lost something.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, Auriemma reduced her pointed comments to symptoms of a traditional rivalry. But he also mused that she was jealous of UConn\u2019s success. He regularly pointed out the vast difference in the number of national championships between him and McGraw; before they met for the 2014 title, he had eight titles to McGraw\u2019s one.<\/p>\n

Other barbs were exchanged between the programs after top 2014 recruit Arike Ogunbowale shunned UConn from her top-five list on Twitter. Auriemma tweeted, \u201cStay tuned for my list of the 5 players I saw the past 7 days that I have zero interest in recruiting\u2026. #whatajoke.\u201d Ogunbowale ended up at Notre Dame and was a key part of the 2018 national championship team.<\/p>\n

After McGraw retired in 2020, she expressed that ESPN showed favoritism toward UConn.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it goes over the top with ESPN,\u201d she said in an appearance on the \u201cOff The Looking Glass\u201d podcast. \u201cThat is Connecticut\u2019s network. Notre Dame has NBC. Connecticut has ESPN. And that is absolutely complete bias there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Auriemma responded with another jab.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess Muffet\u2019s bored,\u201d he said, according to the Hartford Courant<\/a>. \u201cI guess she doesn\u2019t have a whole lot to talk about. And usually when she was coaching, when she did talk, nobody listened anyway. So I guess she figures she\u2019s got her platform now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Auriemma had a 29-11 record versus McGraw but a 3-5 record in tournament games.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Auriemma and former Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer chat before a 2022 NCAA Tournament game. (C. Morgan Engel \/ NCAA Photos via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Tara VanDerveer and Stanford<\/p>\n

The duo battled for the most wins in college basketball, with VanDerveer securing the record before Auriemma passed her in 2024. Both started coaching in 1985; VanDerveer won her first title in 1990, five seasons before Auriemma. Both were women\u2019s national team coaches. VanDerveer held a 7-12 record (2-5 in the NCAA Tournament) against Auriemma before she retired in 2024 after 45 years of coaching.<\/p>\n

Their history runs deep and was mostly built on mutual respect. But there were some occasional pokes at each other.<\/p>\n

After UConn beat Stanford 87-60 in the 1995 Final Four, VanDerveer predicted<\/a> that Tennessee would beat the Huskies in the national championship. (UConn ended its season with a perfect 35-0 record and a national title.)<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s that make any sense? We just beat you by 27,\u201d Auriemma said in response. \u201cPick us and make yourself look good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Staley and Auriemma embrace before last season\u2019s national championship in Tampa. UConn won that battle. (Tracy Glantz \/ The State \/ Tribune News Service via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Dawn Staley and South Carolina<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s Final Four wasn\u2019t the first time Auriemma and Staley have been at odds.<\/p>\n

In February 2023, the Gamecocks beat UConn 81-77 in a regular-season matchup. Auriemma expressed his frustration with his player, Lou Lopez S\u00e9n\u00e9chal, having bruises from the game, and lamented the Gamecocks\u2019 style of play<\/a> to the media.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just appalling what teams do to her now,\u201d he told reporters. \u201cIt\u2019s not basketball anymore. I don\u2019t know what it is, but it\u2019s not basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staley responded a few days later on the radio: \u201cWe\u2019re called something other than players that are locked in. (South Carolina players) play the right way and approach it the right way, whether they win or lose. We don\u2019t denounce anybody\u2019s play. They are always uplifting the game of women\u2019s basketball, and when we were getting our heads beat in by UConn for all those years, I said nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staley continued to express her frustrations with the attacks on the integrity of her teams in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been called so many things, and I\u2019m sick of it,\u201d Staley said. \u201cI\u2019m sick of it because I coach some of the best human beings the game has ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to Auriemma\u2019s frustration on Friday, Staley again said she simply aims to do things the right way, and wasn\u2019t exactly sure why Auriemma was upset, other than claiming that she didn\u2019t shake his hand \u2014 a second time \u2014 before the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea,\u201d Staley said when ESPN\u2019s Holly Rowe asked her about what sparked the exchange at the end of the game. \u201cBut I\u2019m (gonna) let you know this: I\u2019m of integrity. I\u2019m of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess he thought I didn\u2019t shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn\u2019t know. I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff\u2019s hand, I don\u2019t know what he came with after the game. But hey, sometimes things get heated, we move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Auriemma holds the head-to-head record against Staley, 9-7, while the two are now tied with a 2-2 record against each other in tournament games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At the end of Friday night\u2019s Final Four game, UConn coach Geno Auriemma had a tense exchange with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":541959,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[462],"tags":[44003,5,4,465,466,23461,39357,35216,60109,17991],"class_list":{"0":"post-541958","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl-draft","8":"tag-connecticut-huskies","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-nhl-draft","12":"tag-nhl-entry-draft","13":"tag-notre-dame-fighting-irish","14":"tag-south-carolina-gamecocks","15":"tag-stanford-cardinal","16":"tag-tennessee-lady-volunteers","17":"tag-womens-college-basketball"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116352011770914160","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=541958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541958\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/541959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=541958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=541958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=541958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}