UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma is a living legend. He might be the greatest head coach in college basketball history, leading the program for four decades.
Needless to say, that means he’s had his fair share of ups and downs throughout the course of his incredible career. You don’t get more than 1,200 coaching wins by coincidence.
He’s also had an elite pool of talent. That was the case during the 2016-17 campaign, when he had Napheesa Collier. In an interview, he admitted that he actually wanted his team to lose so his players would toughen up.
Geno Auriemma wanted his team to lose
“You know what we have here? We have Conneticut basketball players and as long we have them playing Conneticut basketball, nobody’s going to beat us. You got that?” he said.
Head coach Geno Auriemma of the UConn Huskies
“And then, I would go home, ‘Please, let this be the day we lose.’ And, it just never happened. And then, by the time you get to the Final Four, we played our worst game and the other guys played great. Still, it’s in overtime and when that kid (Morgan William) made that shot, I was like, ‘Finally,'” the coach continued. “Everybody said, ‘What a great sport he is.’ I’m not a great sport, I was just happy we lost.”
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The legendary coach was talking about the UConn heartbreaking loss to the Missisippi State Bulldogs on a buzzer-beater in the 2017 NCAA Final Four after going 36-0. What a great sport.
