UConn men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley is sticking with his school, offering women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma words of encouragement amid his Final Four drama.
“Obviously, I’ve had a negative influence on Geno,” Hurley joked in a Saturday, April 4, press conference, referring to his own hot-headed reputation. “And it’s crazy, because Geno’s helped me so much.”
He continued, “The way he handled the whole thing, such a stand-up guy, with the way he handled it with the statement, and he’s one of the classiest people.”
Hurley — who was speaking after his team defeated Illinois in the Final Four to advance to the national championship game — raised some eyebrows himself after his team’s epic comeback against Duke in the Elite Eight on March 29.
After UConn guard Braylon Mullins hit an improbable three-pointer in the final seconds of that Elite Eight matchup (giving the Huskies the lead and eventual win), Hurley was seen staring down and headbutting a referee on the sideline. There was no discipline given to Hurley or the team at the time.
Less than a week later, Auriemma got into a brief postgame scuffle with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley after his Friday, April 3, Final Four loss to the Gamecocks. After the 62-48 loss, he shared some tense words with Staley on his way to the locker room.
The two legendary coaches were quickly separated after the explosive incident, while Staley continued to chirp at Auriemma as he made his way off the court.
“I will beat Geno’s a**,” Staley said, according to a video on social media.
On Saturday April 4, Auriemma released a statement apologizing to the South Carolina “staff and the team.”
“There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina,” Auriemma said in a statement shared via X. “It’s unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut.
He continued, “I want to apologize to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for in how I reacted. The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don’t want my actions to detract from that. I’ve had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them.”
Hurley praised Auriemma’s statement and said he deserved the “benefit of the doubt.”
“And if anyone should get the benefit of the doubt, in a world of sports, it’s Geno Auriemma,” Hurley said. “Because he’s one of the most authentic, genuine, great people you’ll ever meet in your life.”
