Legacy. Thats what I asked UConn head coach Geno Auriemma about when we talked on the phone just a few years ago. Back then, the all-time legendary head coach was in Year 38 of his career and, having led the Huskies to 11 National titles and 22 Final Four appearances, had admittedly started thinking about not just is own success, but all that the program has achieved.
Sometimes the thought, Do I have it in me to keep doing this? would cross his mind, especially at the end of the season. The weight of his position, as a coach and basketball mastermind in charge of orchestrating a championship-winning roster, and all it takes to make that happen, would dawn on him.
I dont know that I think of it in terms of whos coming after me or what am I leaving behind, but I think some of the things that were going to leave behind are probably undoable in the future, Auriemma said over the phone back then. I dont think anybody can sit here and say, OK, pick out a coach that you think is going to win 11 national championships thats coaching today. Youd be hard-pressed. Pick a team that won 111 in a row. Pick one that won 90 in a row, three timesName a program thats going to go to 14 straight Final Fours. Things that weve done legacy-wise are going to be undoable now.
His words foreshadow the brilliance weve seen from the Huskies, which was on full display in this years NCAA tournament. After persevering through injuries and losses, UConn has powered their way past opponentsArkansas State, SD State, Oklahoma, USC, UCLA and, finally, South Carolinato make to the podium for the first time since 2016. Along the way, they made history: the 34-point dub in the semi-finals against UCLA is now the largest win over a No. 1 seed in womens Final Four, ever. Then, on the same day Auriemma was celebrating 40 years at the helm, the Huskies defeated the reigning champs, South Carolina to win their 12th National Title, making UConn the winningest program in all of college basketball history.
The legacy thats going to be left here by those people that have worked here and played here, some thingswere going to be in the record books for eternity, he added.
As much credit Auriemma gets, hell be the first to not make it about him, and in the rematch of the 2022 National Championship game, the Huskies executed their game plan perfectly. The Gamecocks were no match for UConns Big Three of Paige Bueckers, Final Four MVP Azzi Fudd and freshman phenom Sarah Strong; a poised Bueckers had 17 points, while Fudd and Strong both dominanted with 24-points each, plus Strongs 15 rebounds.
The rest of the roster, which includes KK Arnold and Kaitlyn Chen, hustled and dazzled on plays, from volleyball-esque passes to finishes at the rim and tough-nosed boxouts, that made the difference when it counted most. The Huskies won, 82-59 by controlling tempo of the entire game.
As Huskies fans will tell it, it was really the Power of Friendship that fueled their epic run.
And in their final game together with Bueckers in a UConn uniform, Auriemma had just one message for her as they embraced each other on the court for the last time. Its a message hes likely said to her and many of the players hes coached over the years before. I love you, Auriemma told PB as they both emotionally embraced each other on a confetti-covered court.
Legacy solidified.
