“Basketball is not a game of how to”: Sue Bird shares a lifelong lesson she learned from Geno Auriemma while playing at UConn
Sue Bird learned a lot of important lessons from Geno Auriemma during her time at UConn. In the latest episode of her podcast "A Touch More" with former USWNT star and partner Megan Rapinoe released on Wednesday, Bird reflected on her UConn career and her relationship with the legendary coach.
Bird shared one particular lesson Auriemma taught that stuck with her, and it involved not seeing basketball as just a game.
"One of the lessons that I probably took with me more than anything from playing at UConn I would always say, basketball is not a game of how to because everybody can dribble and everybody can pass and everybody can shoot. It's a game of when to do these things," Bird said.
"And I just think that's something that I've carried with me, yes, in sports and basketball, but it's also something in life, and you're talking now and like reliving and moving forward even I feel like we stand on our values, our morals are what they are, and that's why we stand for the things we stand for."
Sue Bird played for four years with the Huskies from 1998 to 2002, averaging 11.7 points, five assists, 2.8 rebounds, and two steals per game in 118 appearances. She went on to be the first pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft, spending her entire 20-year career with the Seattle Storm and winning four WNBA championships.
Geno Auriemma ties college basketball win record
Geno Auriemma made an unforgettable impact on the game of women's basketball, Sue Bird included. During her collegiate career, she was a part of two championship teams with Auriemma and UConn in 2000 and 2002.
On Saturday, Auriemma made another piece of history as he tied the record for most wins in Division I men's or women's basketball. His UConn Huskies beat the North Carolina Tar Heels 69-58 to give the 70-year-old Auriemma 1,216 career wins to tie retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer.
Paige Bueckers led the way with 29 points on 12-of-21 shooting in 37 minutes. Sarah Strong added a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds, with five blocks.
With the win, his Huskies improved to 3-0 on the season. Geno Auriemma will get the chance to grab the all-time wins record for himself against Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday.