Speaking with a group of reporters Saturday after his UConn men’s basketball team beat Illinois to advance to the national championship game, coach Dan Hurley offered words of support for Geno Auriemma, who coaches the UConn women’s team.
Auriemma shocked many observers with his outburst near the end of his team’s 62-48 loss to South Carolina in Friday night’s semifinal game. As time expired, Auriemma got into an argument with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley in the handshake line before storming off the court without his team.
Hurley is known for his hot-headedness and recently went viral for staring down and butting heads with a referee after UConn guard Braylon Mullins’ game-winning 3-pointer in an Elite Eight win over Duke.
“Obviously, I’ve had a negative influence on Geno,” Hurley said, eliciting laughter. “And it’s crazy, because Geno’s helped me so much,” Hurley continued. “… The way he handled the whole thing, such a stand-up guy, with the way he handled it with the statement, and he’s one of the classiest people.”
Auriemma issued an apology Saturday morning, admitting there was no excuse for his behavior while interacting with Staley.
“It’s unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut,” Auriemma wrote in the statement released by UConn. “I want to apologize to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for in how I reacted.”
Auriemma is a legend who has led the UConn women’s program to a record 12 national titles. His Huskies have reached the Final Four 25 times in his 41 years at the helm. Hurley has followed Auriemma’s success in Storrs with an impressive run of his own. The UConn men, who won national championships in 2023 and 2024, now have a chance to win their third title in four years, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since John Wooden’s UCLA teams in the 1970s.
“And if anyone should get the benefit of the doubt, in a world of sports, it’s Geno Auriemma,” Hurley said. “Because he’s one of the most authentic, genuine, great people you’ll ever meet in your life.”
