Geno Auriemma has new mantra for UConn: ‘Just shut the f–k up and win games’
Geno #Geno
UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma is done talking about what happened last year with the Huskies and how they’re going to fix it this season.
The legendary women’s basketball coach wants to go out there and have the Huskies prove it through their actions.
“Stop talking about what you’re gonna do, stop talking about what you hope happens and what happened last year and how you felt,” Auriemma told reporters at his annual Geno For The Kids charity golf event.
“Now that you put that out there, that’s it. It’s over with, it’s done with. Everybody knows, ‘Hey what’s your goal at Connecticut?’ What do you think it is at Connecticut? The goal is to win a national championship every year. Everybody knows it, you don’t have to talk about it.”
The Huskies have been one of the most storied programs in women’s college basketball, which made it surprising when they were knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the Sweet 16 this past season.
It was the school’s earliest postseason exit since 2005 and snapped a streak of 14 consecutive Final Four appearances.
UConn has dealt with several injuries over the past two years, and by the sounds of Auriemma’s tone, the team will be hungrier than ever to get things back on track.
“Maybe we’re not very social media savvy. How about we just shut the f— up and win games? How about we just do that?”
– Geno Auriemma pic.twitter.com/tL8z7RgQ2X
— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) June 20, 2023
“It’s more important what we see every day, not what we hear,” Auriemma said. “This isn’t a 1970s rock band out for their 60th tour and they have to give every tour a name.
“Everybody’s got ‘redeem team’ and everybody’s got ‘reload team’ and everybody’s got ‘unfinished business team’ and everybody’s got all this stuff going out there.
“Maybe we’re not very social media savvy. How about we just shut the f–k up and win games? How about we just do that? Maybe that’s what the tour should be. Shut the f–k up and win games.”
UConn is expected to be healthy this year, and star guard Paige Bueckers should be to be fully ready by the start of the season, according to ESPN.
Bueckers suffered an ACL tear last August that cost her the entire 2022-23 season, and her return to the floor this upcoming season will be a big boost for the Huskies.
The 2021 Naismith College Player of the Year appeared to endorse her coach’s expletive-filled rant.
“I like it coach,” she quote-tweeted with a crying laughing emoji over Auriemma’s comments from earlier in the day.
I like it coach 😂 https://t.co/dyXMsqWK7Y
— Paige Bueckers (@paigebueckers1) June 20, 2023
UConn has had plenty of success over the years in reaching the Final Four but has not won a national title since 2016.
Heading into this season, the Huskies are ranked No. 2 in ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings.”