Getty Image / Joe Bulgewicz
Geno Auriemma is synonymous with Women’s College Basketball. The longtime UCONN coach has a resume that cannot be matched in college basketball, and perhaps in basketball altogether.
On Wednesday, Auriemma moved ahead of recently-retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer for the most wins in NCAA history, men’s or women’s. And, the Huskies had quite the unique celebration for the man that built their program.
Auriemma came into Wednesday night’s game against cupcake Farleigh Dickinson with 1,216 wins, tied with his old rival VanderVeer. Unsurprisingly, Paige Bueckers and UCONN won, 85-41. Take a look at what happened after the game.
UConn brought out a live goat and had Geno Auriemma inducted into the international order of old goats. 😂😂pic.twitter.com/IWIVX38cIl
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) November 21, 2024
Yes, that’s a live goat for the GOAT.
It’s hard to argue that he isn’t the GOAT. Aside from his absurd win total, the 70-year old has 11 national titles, 23 Final Fours, 55 combined conference titles (regular season and tournament) and six undefeated seasons. Add in his two Olympic gold medals as a head coach, and it’s a resume that almost certainly will never be matched again.
The Huskies haven’t won a national title since 2016, the longest drought of Geno Auriemma’s career since his first national title in 1995. But, this year, the second-ranked Huskies have a great chance led by Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, and top recruit Sarah Strong. South Carolina is the top-ranked team in the country.
Auriemma is in his 40th season at UCONN, and assistant Chris Dailey has been there for all of them.