Even after the UCLA Bruins humiliated Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks, the three-time national champion coach had to answer questions about her incident with Geno Auriemma back in the Final Four round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament. This time, though, Staley had no patience and dismissed the noise with a bold message.
“That’s a Geno question. I have not heard from Geno,” Staley admitted, via USA Today’s Meghan Hall. “It’s UCLA’s day. Let’s keep it there. We’re not gonna damper UCLA’s day with that.” Staley did say she has a lot of unread messages, and Auriemma’s reported text may well be one of them.
According to ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo, Auriemma did reach out to Staley to apologize for his candid reaction, but South Carolina‘s head coach couldn’t confirm that. As far as Staley knew—or cared to publicly discuss—she hadn’t heard from Auriemma.
Staley’s reaction to the question put on full display that she had no intention of touching the subject. That was not something on her mind after the Gamecocks lost in the National Championship Game for the second year in a row.
Geno Auriemma (left) of UConn and Dawn Staley (right) of South Carolina.
Staley vs Auriemma never fails to deliver
Regardless, after suffering one of the worst defeats of her coaching career in women’s college basketball, Staley was in no mood to speak about the clash with Auriemma that made waves across the nation last Friday. Everybody knows how heated matchups between Staley’s Gamecocks and Auriemma’s Huskies are, but this one went over the line.
The head-to-head record between Staley and Auriemma is now tied in NCAA Tournament showdowns. As it stands, both sides have won two and lost two against one another. Though she didn’t directly name Auriemma or Connecticut, Staley did fire a not-so-subtle shot at the Huskies with her praise for Cori Close and the Bruins.
“Although we didn’t win, I can swallow it because we lost to a really good human being and a good team that represents women’s basketball well,” Staley said, per The Athletic’s Grace Raynor. Clear as water, Staley put Auriemma on notice with that comment.
Missed opportunity for Staley
South Carolina’s loss against UCLA meant Staley failed to make the podium for the most decorated coaches in the NCAA Tournament. Auriemma still leads with 12 national titles, followed by Pat Summit’s 8 championships. Kim Mulkey closes out the podium with 4 conquests of the NCAA Women’s Tournament.
Make no mistake, though, the Gamecocks will be back in the dance next year, and Staley isn’t going anywhere as she is inked to the highest contract in the nation. Moreover, her deal runs through the 2029-30 season. It’s safe to say, Staley is there to stay in Columbia.
- Geno Auriemma: 12 national titles with Connecticut
- Pat Summit: 8 national titles with Tennessee
- Kim Mulkey 4 national titles (Baylor 3x and LSU)
