UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma is receiving considerable criticism after his exchange with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley towards the end of their Final Four matchup.
The Huskies ultimately lost 62-48, but the exchange was buildup of Auriemma’s frustration over handshakes, foul calls, Staley’s behavior and, perhaps, past experience, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
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Both coaches shared their side of the story in postgame press conferences, both declining to elaborate on the exact words used. Ultimately, Staley suggested Auriemma accused her of not shaking his hand at the start of the game. While video from ESPN does show the two exchanging a handshake, Auriemma claimed Staley left her waiting for what he estimated to be three minutes prior to the game.
Auriemma also claimed in an interview after the third quarter that a South Carolina player ripped Sarah Strong’s jersey, although video from ESPN shows her ripping her jersey. He went on to criticize Staley’s actions toward the referees.
“The first thing that comes to my mind as I was re-listening to what Geno was said is how hypocritical it is,” said ESPN analyst Andraya Carter, talking with SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt. “Like, he is so frustrated with Coach Staley for apparently breaking these protocols pregame, but he breaks protocols postgame. He doesn’t shake the South Carolina players’ hands, he doesn’t shake her staff, he doesn’t go through the line like everybody does after any game.”
Carter, who played at Tennessee, said the South Carolina players should have been recognized.
“South Carolina played so well, they deserved him going through that line, Geno Auriemma, and telling them they did a good job,” she continued. “So these pregame protocols that were broken, he did the same…he did the same exact thing postgame, breaking protocols that he has done time after time.”
Carter went on to say that “maybe this is giving Geno too much credit, but I feel like this was a little calculated.” She speculated that rather than putting the attention on Staley’s coaching, the postgame controversy put the attention on her exchange with Auriemma.
Fellow ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike called Auriemma’s approach “extremely problematic.”
“It was a buildup of things being problematic starting with Sarah Strong,” said Ogwumike, who played at Stanford. “He called out the fact that Sarah Strong’s jersey was torn but she was actually doing it self-inflicted.”
She went on to note how unusual Auriemma’s third-quarter interview was, on top of the end-of-game situation.
“Unfortunately, the reality is, this was not Geno’s best moment,” she said.
They were not the only ESPN commentators critical of Auriemma. Stephen A. Smith posted on X.
“That was some straight B.S. from the GREAT Geno Auriemma,” he wrote. “Never — ever — thought I’d see the day when the greatest woman’s college coach in history would go down so CLASSLESSLY!!! Horrible look, and should be called out for it. He got OUTCOACHED. Plain and simple. And gets in her face like she did something wrong to him instead of being gracious. Had Dawn Staley acted like that we would be all over her.”
