Napheesa Collier is making a strong case to be crowned the 2025 WNBA MVP amid a 30-7 season that sees them atop the standings and set to play in the Finals for a second straight season.
Collier already won the Defensive Player of the Year award last season and the bar is higher now, but she’s prepared for this moment her entire career. Before becoming the heart and soul of the Minnesota Lynx in the W, taking over from Maya Moore, Collier played under Geno Auriemma at UConn.
During a recent conversation with fellow UConn alumna Sue Bird, Collier explained that Auriemma used unique tactics to prepare her and her teammates once the senior class left college.
Napheesa Collier reveals Geno Auriemma’s bold trick to motivate UConn players
After Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson, and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis left the program, Auriemma gathered the rest of the team and taught them a lesson that Collier is yet to forget.
Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx
“He always said, especially after that senior class left, ‘All the talent’s gone. You guys have to be smarter than everybody else,’” Collier recalled. “The next three years, he really worked on our mental IQ and mental toughness.”
Auriemma is one of the greatest coaches in women’s college basketball, and it’s common to hear similar anecdotes from his old players. She coached future legends such as Bird, Diana Taurasi, Stewart, and more recently, Paige Bueckers.
Napheesa Collier played at UConn from 2016 to 2019, during which she averaged 16.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game in 150 contests. She also won a national championship and was a three-time AP All-American and two-time AAC Player of the Year.
