College basketball coach apologizes after fierce backlash for shouting in female rival's face
University of Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma has issued an apology after his angry interaction with South Carolina women's coach Dawn Staley in Friday night's Final Four.
Toward the end of the game, but just before the buzzer sounded, Auriemma and Staley went to shake hands - only for the UConn coach to begin speaking at her in a heated manner.
The two coaches, who have developed a spirited rivalry over the years, yelled back and forth at each other before they were separated by officials and assistant coaches.
After the buzzer sounded, Auriemma walked off the floor without shaking the hands of the rest of the South Carolina team.
'There's no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina,' Auriemma's statement began.
'It's unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut. I want to apologize to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for in how I reacted.
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma apologized for his angry outburst on Friday night
Auriemma (R) got upset with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley (L) over a missed handshake
'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.'
After the end of the game, Auriemma stated that his issue with Staley was that she did not shake his hand after lineups were introduced.
'The protocol is, before the game, you meet at halfcourt, anybody ever see that before? The two coaches meet at halfcourt and they shake hands... they announce it on the loud speaker. I waited there for like three minutes,' the UConn coach said.
ESPN replays showed that Staley did walk over in the pre-game to shake hands with all of UConn's coaching staff, including Auriemma.
During the game, in an interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe, the 12-time national championship winning coach was critical of Staley's rapport with officials.
'I'm not making excuses, because we haven't been able to make a shot, but this is ridiculous. Their coach rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referee some names you don't want to hear,' Auriemma said.
Auriemma also suggested that the Huskies were unfairly officiated on the night - exemplified by a 22-6 free throw discrepancy in favor of the Gamecocks - while also suggesting a South Carolina player should have been penalized for ripping the jersey of star Sarah Strong.
Strong later said the rip was an accident and replays showed that she tore her own jersey in frustration.
Staley was later overheard telling her assistants that she was 'gonna beat Geno's a**'
Auriemma's Huskies suffered their only loss of the season on a night where they shot poorly
A reverse-angle video of the confrontation showed Staley telling her staff, 'I'm gonna beat Geno's a**.'
Auriemma's actions were widely criticized on social media and on ESPN in the immediate aftermath of the game.
'I say this respecting the fact that Geno is the winningest coach in college basketball history,' said ESPN women's basketball analyst Chiney Ogwumike. 'His behavior does not sit well with me. I actually find it quite problematic.'
Fellow analyst Andraya Carter concurred: 'It was all handled so poorly on Geno’s part. Like, actually shockingly so. Because you never really see Geno act like that.'
The Huskies played poorly on Friday. Stars Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd and Ashlynn Shade combined to shoot 12-for-42 from the field while the team as a whole shot 6-of-21 from 3-point range.
Still, Connecticut brought the game to within one possession twice in the fourth quarter - but could not get over the hump. The Huskies lost their first game of the season, spoiling an undefeated campaign.
Staley's South Carolina will now face one-seed UCLA in Sunday's national championship game.
