Auriemma reflects on spat with Staley: ‘You just feel dumb’

STORRS, Conn. — More than a month after Geno Auriemma UConn As the women’s basketball team’s title bid ended with a Final Four loss to South Carolina, the coach reflected on his heated postgame exchange with South Carolina Coach Don Staley.

“When I walk into the locker room with the coaches, you’re just shaking your head, thinking five more seconds, you can’t keep it up for five more seconds,” Auriemma said. “You just feel dumb for the way it played out. We’re all human, and we all do dumb (stuff).”

Auriemma appeared to punish Staley in the final seconds of South Carolina’s 62-48 Final Four win in Phoenix. The coaches of the two teams had to be separated. When the game finally ended, Auriemma walked off the court to the locker room without turning back to shake hands with anyone from South Carolina.

Auriemma’s behavior generated more buzz than South Carolina’s impressive defensive effort that shut down a UConn team with two first-team All-Americans.

“I haven’t seen a lot of it, but it’s expected,” Auriemma said of the backlash. “I think some of it was certainty, and some of it was people laying in the weeds for that moment. It doesn’t matter what you did for the game; it’s what you just did.

“Unfortunately, the world we live in today, and it’s usually one-sided. People who understood what it was in a different light, they’re not going to preach and say. They’re not going to write about it because now they’re going against a big Internet or media frenzy; they’re not going to do that. I bring the criticism myself. (I bring it myself).

Auriemma compared the reaction to what might have happened if social media was around in 1998, when he arranged for an injured Nikesha Sales to make a basket so she could set the program’s career scoring record.

“Right away, it was the worst thing to happen to the game of basketball and sports in general,” Auriemma said.

“These things that happen, you take them with a grain of salt, understand. I did what I did, I apologized for it and I moved on.”

His focus is now on the 2026-27 season. Despite losing two starters, including the WNBA No. 1 pick Benefit todayThe Huskies again figure to be one of the top title contenders.

Transfer Kylie Heckel Played a key role for a 38-1 UConn team in the 2025-26 season. Auriemma, who opted not to add any transfers this offseason, will rely on returning players led by the reigning National Player of the Year. Sarah is strong and two incoming freshmen.

“People have to be better,” Auriemma said. “You want your players to improve and improve from one year to the next. Blanca (Quinonez) going from 17 minutes to 27-30 minutes per night, I think changes the dynamic of the team. Sarah is probably getting more touches, maybe playing 30 minutes per game.

Auriemma said Strong turned down an opportunity to play for USA Basketball this offseason to recover from a foot inflammation that kept him out of most practices in the postseason.

“The new kids coming in will give us a little different look than we have. We have really good guards on the team, but none of them are like Jovana (Popovich); our older kids are going to be better. Olivia (Vukosa) is a little different than what we have now. We’ll look a little different, but the core of the team is back.”

UConn also brings back Morgan Chelywho played at least 15 minutes nine times as a freshman before missing all of last season with an ankle injury.