I am a die hard UConn Basketball fan for life. The current duo of Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, led by long-time coach Geno Auriemma, were poised for a run to the finals. Despite losing by 14 points to South Carolina—an outcome that many people didn’t expect—this surprisingly wasn’t even the main story. Following a heated mid-game interview with Auriemma, in which he angrily complained about the refs, the buzzer blared at the end and led to the most memorable moment from the night: an altercation between South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and Auriemma. Not only was he actively arguing with Staley at the end of the game, to the point where they had to be separated, but he fully left the court before the final handshakes.
I am writing this the night of the game. Following this moment, I was shocked. After it finished, not only was I confused, but I was angry. This shouldn’t have been the main story from the night. After all, these are two of the most respected coaches in the women’s game. Each of them have won multiple national championships, not to mention the countless games against one another. I always assumed that the two of them respected one another, so this really caught me off guard.
As I read more into it, I’m learning that there were two reasons that caused this altercation. For one, he was heated due to poor calls by the refs. He thought that South Carolina’s physical play should’ve resulted in more fouls against them. At one point, Sarah Strong’s jersey ripped down the middle, so she had to change to an entirely different one. Furthermore, he was upset that Staley allegedly refrained from shaking his hand before the game. As he explained during his post-game interview, this is a common courtesy, and he has never witnessed a missed handshake before. However, videos were circulating online showing how he and Staley did shake hands before the game. I believe that it was an immature, whiny, and an unacceptable move on his end. It was classless. Staley is a high-character, respected coach, and she didn’t deserve to be treated like that. After the game, while being interviewed on national television, she again took the high road. Rather than calling him out, she talked more about her excitement for Sunday’s championship game. Auriemma knowingly has a reputation of being a strict, tough coach and occasionally a difficult person, but I didn’t think that he would stoop to this level. After all, when he and UConn beat South Carolina by 23 in last year’s championship, he was very respectful at the end of the game. This comparison makes his actions stand out even more. He seems like nothing more than a sore loser.
While I would be the first person to defend anything UConn related, this isn’t something I can overlook. I will be curious to follow any headlines that reveal more information from this encounter—specifically, to find out exactly what he said to Staley.
At this point, it’s of note that he hasn’t apologized. I am expecting an apology of some sort, or else I will be very disappointed in him. I’ve certainly lost some respect for him, but I think that a heartfelt apology would help his case. I’m upset that this became the narrative of this year’s Final Four: a highly anticipated game that was worth more than what the media will focus on.
Women’s basketball is better than this. Some may argue that this was good publicity for the tournament, but I really don’t agree with this. The game itself is worth so much more than a stubborn coach’s meltdown. This year’s star players—Lauren Betts, Madison Booker, Raven Johnson, and Azzi Fudd—should be the sole subject of March Madness due to their impressive play on the hardwood. This wasn’t the reflection I was expecting to write after the South Carolina vs. UConn game, and even though it may seem disloyal to root for Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks in the finals, that’s what I’ll be doing.