Geno Auriemma, the coach who’s become synonymous with UConn women’s basketball, just dropped a bombshell that’ll make any college hoops fan gasp. He revealed this week he was “this close” to leaving Storrs on three separate occasions, even for men’s coaching gigs and a shot at the NBA. The man is heading into his 42nd season at UConn, having coached all but four of the Huskies’ seasons as a Division I program. To think of him anywhere else is wild.
The NBA Came Calling, But Life Got In The Way
Auriemma spilled the tea in an interview with Barstool Sports host Ryen Russillo, reflecting on those times he seriously considered bailing. “As time went on, an opportunity arose on the men’s side, and I was like that close,” Auriemma said. “But it came at the wrong time in my life.” Then, another shot came knocking: the NBA. Again, he was “this close,” but couldn’t pull the trigger. He said it himself, life sometimes just gets in the way. By then, he was so entrenched in the UConn community, and his kids were totally settled there too. Russillo managed to get him to admit one thing about those men’s offers: it wasn’t the Sacramento Kings who were in the running. Good to know.
Early Days: An ACC Offer After a ‘Shocking’ Final Four Run
It wasn’t just the NBA that almost snagged him. Back in the early ’90s, Auriemma seriously thought about jumping ship for an ACC rival. He inherited a UConn program in 1985 with limited athletic facilities and pretty much zero winning tradition, so when they started making noise, he felt like he’d done his part. “We got into the top 20, we went to the Final Four in 1991, you’ve got to be kidding me,” he recalled. He believes if he were a woman, that would have been the end for him at Connecticut. He’s totally convinced he wouldn’t be there today.
Auriemma’s loyalty has been rewarded, big time. He’s now sitting on an increasingly untouchable spot in the college basketball record books. The Pennsylvania native recently overtook Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski to become the winningest coach in the men’s or women’s game, racking up 1,288 victories and counting. To think how close the game came to losing such a legend to the pros or another program is wild.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply