_(cropped).jpg) Auriemma in 2023 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Connecticut |
| Conference | Big East Conference |
| Record | 1,245–165 (.883) |
| Annual salary | $2.4 million[1] |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1954-03-23)March 23, 1954 (age 70) Montella, Italy |
| Alma mater | West Chester University |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1977–1979 | Bishop McDevitt High School (Assistant Varsity Coach / Head Junior Varsity Coach) |
| 1978–1979 | Saint Joseph's (assistant) |
| 1979–1981 | Bishop Kenrick HS (assistant) |
| 1981–1985 | Virginia (assistant) |
| 1985–present | Connecticut |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 1,245–165 (.883) |
| Tournaments | 138–24 (NCAA Division I) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Awards | |
| |
| Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 (profile) | |
| Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Medal record | |
Luigi "Geno"Auriemma (born March 23, 1954) is an Americanbasketball coach who is thehead coach of theUConn Huskies women's basketball team. He holds the record for most wins (1,244) and highest winning percentage (.883) among college coaches with a minimum of 10 seasons, any level, men's or women's. Since becoming head coach in 1985, he has led UConn to 19 undefeated conference seasons (including eight consecutive), of which six were undefeated overall seasons, with 11NCAADivision Inational championships, the most in women's college basketball history, and has won eight nationalNaismith College Coach of the Year awards.[2] Auriemma was the head coach of theUnited States women's national basketball team from 2009 through 2016, during which time his teams won the2010 and2014 World Championships, and gold medals at the2012 and2016 Summer Olympics, going undefeated in all four tournaments.[6] Auriemma was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and theWomen's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Auriemma emigrated with his family fromMontella inSouthern Italy toNorristown, Pennsylvania when he was seven years old, and he spent the rest of his childhood there. Auriemma grew up poor, with his parents working low wage factory jobs.[7] Auriemma had to teach himself English after coming to the United States.[8] After graduating fromWest Chester University in 1977, Auriemma was hired as an assistant coach[9] atSaint Joseph's University, where he worked in 1978 and 1979. Prior to coaching at Saint Joseph's University he began his career coaching women's basketball atBishop McDevitt HS inWyncote, Pennsylvania. He then took a two-year absence fromcollege basketball, serving as an assistant coach at his former high school,Bishop Kenrick,[9] before assuming an assistant coaching position with theUniversity of VirginiaCavaliers women's team in 1981. Auriemma became anaturalized United States citizen in 1994 at the age of 40,[10] noting in his autobiography that he finally decided to naturalize when his University of Connecticut team was slated to tourItaly that summer and he was concerned about potential problems, as he had never done anyrequired national service in his birth country.[11]
When he was growing up, his favorite team was the 1970sNew York Knicks coached byRed Holzman.[12]
For many years, Auriemma and his wife, Kathy, maintained a home inAvalon, New Jersey, to be near their respective parents in the Philadelphia area.[13]
Prior to Auriemma's arrival in 1985, the Huskies women's basketball team had posted only one winning season in its history. The decision to hire Auriemma was part of the university's commitment to better fund women's sports.[14] Auriemma's was the final interview scheduled by the search staff. Most of the other candidates were highly qualified, and most were female. One of those included in the interview process wasChris Dailey, who became Auriemma's assistant and is currently the associate head coach. Dailey was identified as the candidate most likely to receive an offer if Auriemma turned down the position.[15]
Connecticut quickly rose to prominence after Auriemma was hired in August 1985. After finishing 12–15 in Auriemma's first season (his only losing season), the Huskies notched their first-ever 20-win season, first conference title and first NCAA Tournament appearance. Connecticut has finished above .500 for 33 consecutive seasons, including six undefeated seasons (1994–95, 2001–02, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2013–14, and 2015–16) and three NCAA record streaks of 111, 90 and 70 consecutive wins.[16] On December 21, 2010, Auriemma led UConn to its 89th consecutive victory, one more than the all-time NCAA men's wins record of 88 held byUCLA;[17] the streak ended at 90 wins.[18][19] The Huskies subsequently broke their own record with an 111-game winning streak that began in 2014 and ended in 2017.[20] They have also appeared in every NCAA Tournament since 1989–as of the end of the 2023–24 season, the third-longest active consecutive appearances streak in Division I.[21]
At the end of the 2023–24 season, Auriemma's record as a head coach was 1217-162, for an 88.2 winning percentage. That winning percentage is the highest among Division I active coaches.[22] His career at UConn also includes 27 seasons with 30 or more wins.[23] UConn has won eleven national championships under Auriemma (1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016)[24] and made the Final Four 23 times[23] (1991, 1995, 1996, 2000–2004, 2008–2019, 2021, 2022, 2024). Auriemma has also guided UConn to 21 conference regular season titles and 20 conference tournament titles. They lost 17 conference games in the last two decades of play in theBig East Conference, and have never lost a conference game since the old Big East reorganized as theAmerican Athletic Conference in 2013.
With the win in 2016, Auriemma passed UCLA men's coachJohn Wooden for most college basketball championships, and the Huskies became the first Division I women's basketball team to win four straight national championships.[25]
The team has been especially successful on itshome court in theHarry A. Gampel Pavilion on the UConn campus inStorrs, Connecticut, and in the largerXL Center inHartford; they tied an NCAA women's basketball record with 69consecutive home wins between 2000 and 2003. That record was broken in 2011. The last home loss was to Villanova in the game that ended their 70-game winning streak. Moreover, between Auriemma's arrival and the close of the 2005 season, UConn won 295 games versus just 31 losses. The team set Big East Conference records for both single-game and season-longattendance.
Auriemma is also known for cultivating individual players, and the 13 multiple-All-America players whom Auriemma has coached —Rebecca Lobo,Jennifer Rizzotti,Kara Wolters,Nykesha Sales,Svetlana Abrosimova,Sue Bird,Swin Cash,Diana Taurasi,Tina Charles,Maya Moore,Stefanie Dolson,Bria Hartley andBreanna Stewart— have combined to win eightNaismith College Player of the Year awards, sevenWade Trophies, and nineNCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player awards. The UConn athletics website also notes that, through 2006–07, every recruited freshman who has finished her eligibility at UConn has graduated with a degree.
Since achieving its first #1 ranking in the 1994–95 season, UConn under Auriemma is 186–10 when playing as the nation's #1 team. At the end of the 2009–10 season, he had a record of 127–52 against top 25 opponents and a 57–35 record against top 10 opponents. He won his 600th game on New Year's Eve 2006, accomplishing the feat in 716 games, tying him with Phillip Kahler for the fastest women's basketball coach to reach that milestone. Auriemma won his 700th game on November 27, 2009, in 822 total games, becoming the fastest head coach to that milestone in the history of college basketball at any level, men or women. He is now one of eight active women's college basketball coaches to have 700 or more wins.[22] Auriemma became the sixth coach in women's basketball history to reach 800 career victories on March 6, 2012, also reaching 800 career wins faster than any coach in the history of college basketball men or women at any division level in just 928 career games. On February 3, 2015, Auriemma notched his 900th victory in only 1,034 games, reaching this milestone also faster than any college coach in history. Auriemma was a member of the inaugural class (2006) of inductees to the University of Connecticut women's basketballHuskies of Honor recognition program.[26]Auriemma's 2013–2018 salary is $10.9 million.[27] Auriemma reached his 1,200th career win against Seton Hill on February 7, 2024.
Auriemma created controversy in 1998 when he arranged with Villanova coach Harry Perretta to orchestrate a shot at the beginning of their scheduled game. University of Connecticut's top player,Nykesha Sales, was two points short of breaking the team record for most points in a career when she ruptured her right Achilles tendon in the second to last game of the season against Notre Dame. When the following game, against Villanova, began, Villanova players allowed Connecticut to win the tip off and then pass the ball down to Sales who was standing underneath the basket. She laid the ball in to break the record. Connecticut players then stood back and allowed Villanova an uncontested layup of their own before beginning regular play.[28]
Therivalry between the Huskies and theUniversity of TennesseeLady Vols extended to Auriemma's relationship with Volunteers counterpartPat Summitt.[29] The two, throughprint andbroadcast media, were often at odds. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Auriemma had slightly surpassed Summitt among active Division I coaches for career winning percentage, with Auriemma at 85.8 and Summitt at 84.1.[30] In 2007, Summitt, who believed Auriemma had used less-than-honorable tactics in his successful recruitment ofMaya Moore, canceled the yearly game between the two programs.[31] After Summitt announced her diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's disease in 2011, the two mended their relationship, with Auriemma donating ten thousand dollars to Summitt's Alzheimer's foundation.[32] Summitt retired in 2012 and died in 2016.
FormerUConn men's basketball coachJim Calhoun has been called Auriemma's "unfriendly rival", and he once mocked the women's team's fan base as the "world's largest nursing home."[33] When asked about their relationship in 2001, Auriemma said, "Jim has a problem with anyone else's success, not just ours. Do we get along? No, but we don't have to."[34]
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Auriemma was named head coach of the US women's team that competed in the Junior World Championship inBrno, Czech Republic in July 2001. The team won its first five games, including a record-setting win againstMali. The 97–27 final score represented the largest margin of victory by a USA team in Junior World Championship history. The preliminary round results qualified the team for the medal rounds, where they faced the host team, the Czech Republic. With a home crowd cheering them on, the Czech team won 92–88 and went on to beat Russia 82–80 to win the gold medal. The US team beat Australia 77–72 to win the bronze medal.Diana Taurasi was the leading scorer for the US with 19.3 points per game, whileAlana Beard was close behind with 18.0 points per game.Nicole Powell was the leading rebounder for the US, with seven rebounds per game.[35]
Auriemma was named head coach of the US women's national team in preparation for competition in the 2010 World Championships and 2012 Olympics. Because many team members were still playing in theWNBA until just prior to the World Championship, the team had only one day of practice with the entire team before leaving forOstrava andKarlovy Vary, Czech Republic. Despite this, the team won its first game against Greece by 26 points. The team continued to dominate with victory margins exceeding 20 points in the first five games. Several players shared scoring honors, withSwin Cash,Angel McCoughtry,Maya Moore,Diana Taurasi,Lindsay Whalen, andSylvia Fowles all ending as high scorer in the first few games. The sixth game was against undefeated Australia — the USA jumped out to a 24-point lead and won 83–75. Team USA won its next two games by over 30 points, then faced the host team, the Czech Republic, in the championship game. They had a five-point lead at halftime, which was cut to three points, but the Czechs never got closer. Team USA won the championship and gold medal.[36] At the2012 Olympics, Auriemma's team went 8–0 and won the gold medal game overFrance 86–50. Their closest match of the Olympics – and the only game in which their margin of victory was less than 25 points – was an 86–73 win in the semi-finals over eventual Bronze Medal winnerAustralia.
Auriemma was again named head coach of the US women's basketball team for the2014 FIBA World Championship for Women and the2016 Summer Olympics.[37] In the 2014 World Championship, his team went 6–0 and won the gold medal, outscoring their opponents 553–380 over the six games – an average margin of victory of almost 30 points per game.
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Huskies(Big East Conference)(1985–2013) | |||||||||
| 1985–86 | Connecticut | 12–15 | 4–12 | 7th | |||||
| 1986–87 | Connecticut | 14–13 | 9–7 | 7th | |||||
| 1987–88 | Connecticut | 17–11 | 9–7 | 5th | |||||
| 1988–89 | Connecticut | 24–6 | 13–2 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1989–90 | Connecticut | 25–6 | 14–2 | T–1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 1990–91 | Connecticut | 29–5 | 14–2 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 1991–92 | Connecticut | 23–11 | 13–5 | T–2nd | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 1992–93 | Connecticut | 18–11 | 12–6 | 3rd | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1993–94 | Connecticut | 30–3 | 17–1 | 1st | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||
| 1994–95 | Connecticut | 35–0 | 18–0 | 1st | NCAA Champions | ||||
| 1995–96 | Connecticut | 34–4 | 17–1 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 1996–97 | Connecticut | 33–1 | 18–0 | 1st | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||
| 1997–98 | Connecticut | 34–3 | 17–1 | 1st | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||
| 1998–99 | Connecticut | 29–5 | 17–1 | T–1st | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 1999–00 | Connecticut | 36–1 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Champions | ||||
| 2000–01 | Connecticut | 32–3 | 15–1 | T–1st | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 2001–02 | Connecticut | 39–0 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Champions | ||||
| 2002–03 | Connecticut | 37–1 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Champions | ||||
| 2003–04 | Connecticut | 31–4 | 14–2 | 1st | NCAA Champions | ||||
| 2004–05 | Connecticut | 25–8 | 13–3 | T–2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2005–06 | Connecticut | 32–5 | 14–2 | 2nd | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||
| 2006–07 | Connecticut | 32–4 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||
| 2007–08 | Connecticut | 36–2 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 2008–09 | Connecticut | 39–0 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Champions | ||||
| 2009–10 | Connecticut | 39–0 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Champions | ||||
| 2010–11 | Connecticut | 36–2 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 2011–12 | Connecticut | 33–5 | 13–3 | 3rd | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 2012–13 | Connecticut | 35–4 | 14–2 | 2nd | NCAA Champions | ||||
| Connecticut Huskies(American Athletic Conference)(2013–2020) | |||||||||
| 2013–14 | Connecticut | 40–0 | 18–0 | 1st | NCAA Champions | ||||
| 2014–15 | Connecticut | 38–1 | 18–0 | 1st | NCAA Champions | ||||
| 2015–16 | Connecticut | 38–0 | 18–0 | 1st | NCAA Champions | ||||
| 2016–17 | Connecticut | 36–1 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 2017–18 | Connecticut | 36–1 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 2018–19 | Connecticut | 35–3 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 2019–20 | Connecticut | 29–3 | 16–0 | 1st | Postseason not held[1] | ||||
| Connecticut Huskies(Big East Conference)(2020–present) | |||||||||
| 2020–21 | Connecticut | 28–2 | 18–0 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 2021–22 | Connecticut | 30–6 | 16–1 | 1st | NCAA Runner-up | ||||
| 2022–23 | Connecticut | 31–6 | 18–2 | 1st | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2023–24 | Connecticut | 33–6 | 18–0 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 2024–25 | Connecticut | 32–3 | 18–0 | 1st | NCAA | ||||
| Connecticut: | 1,245–165 (.883) | 608–64 (.905) | |||||||
| Total: | 1,245–165 (.883) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
During the college basketballoffseason, Auriemma serves as ananalyst for games of theWomen's National Basketball Association broadcast on the Americancable televisionnetworksESPN andESPN2, in which he often critiques his former players.[38]
Auriemma is close friends with formerSaint Joseph's University basketball head coachPhil Martelli[39] and his son, Mike Auriemma, attended and played basketball at Saint Joseph's.[40]
Auriemma served as an assistant coach to the gold medalist 2000 U.S. Olympic Team. On April 15, 2009, he was selected to lead USA Basketball Women's National Team in the 2010 FIBA World Championship in the Czech Republic and the London2012 Summer Olympics.[41]
Auriemma is a member of the Board of Directors of theKay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.[42]
Auriemma is a member of the board of directors at Connecticut Children's Foundation, Inc. and hosts a charity series of events, Geno for the Kids, every year benefitingConnecticut Children's Medical Center.
Auriemma has parlayed his heritage and his love of Italian cuisine into lines of wines and sauces along with several restaurants in Connecticut.[43]
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