Geno Auriemma Apologizes To Dawn Staley

When the final seconds ticked off the clock in Phoenix last Friday during the Women’s Final Four matchup between the UConn Huskies and South Carolina Gamecocks, women's college basketball had itself one of the most polarizing postgame moments in recent memory. UConn head coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina's Dawn Staley had to be physically separated at midcourt  after what was already an emotional and intense Final Four matchup. The Gamecocks ended the Huskies perfect season and snapped a 54-game winning streak and quest for back-to-back titles, dominating the second half to take a 62-48 victory,  and Auriemma, one of the sport's all-time greats, did not handle it gracefully.

While the fourteen-point loss was tough to swallow, Auriemma’s issues started before tipoff. The Huskies coach claimed Staley didn't meet him at midcourt for the traditional pregame handshake, saying he waited for three minutes.  Auriemma’s claim did not hold much water as ESPN footage showed the two coaches shaking hands on the sideline before tip-off.  Then, to cap it off, Auriemma walked off the court after the buzzer without going back to shake hands with anyone from South Carolina. Auriemma took matters further during an interview with ESPN in which he claimed that Staley “ranted and raved” at the officials and “called the referees names you don’t want to hear.” 

Give Auriemma credit as he not only owned his actions not once, but twice. His first apology came on Saturday, yet he left Staley's name out of his statement completely. On Tuesday, he issued a second statement after the two spoke directly, this time mentioning her by name and taking further accountability for his actions. "I've lost more games in the Final Four than any coach in history. But Friday, I lost something more important. I lost myself." Auriemma stated. “Dawn and her team deserved to win, and they deserved better from me.”

Staley, for her part, handled the whole situation with class. She released her own statement saying she has "a great deal of respect" for Auriemma and that one moment "doesn't define a career”, as both coaches agreed to move on. 

As two of the greatest coaches in Women’s college basketball history, with a combined 15 National Championships and both occupying a spot in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, this was a blemish on the game that can and should be left in the past.