“I had this unhealthy need to fit in”: $18 million worth Geno Auriemma talks about growing up as an immigrant
Geno Auriemma opened up about his childhood and life as a young immigrant in the United States in a fascinating talk with author Brett Ledbetter in his "What Drives Winning" series. The UConn Huskies coach bared his soul in "The Power of Getting to Know Yourself" episode, which premiered on Sunday.
Ledbetter inquired about Auriemma's early exposure to hardships. Taken aback by the question, Auriemma, who is valued at $18 million by Celebrity Net Worth, shielded his eyes from the lights and asked, "In front of all these people?" After a moment, he mustered the courage and shared his past experiences of growing up poor.
"I think coming over to this country and not knowing the language at all. Wearing clothes that my mom made and living in my relatives’ house. I was seven years old and I had this after a couple of months," Auriemma said." (Timestamp 8:02)
"I had this probably unnatural but unhealthy desire or need that I have to fit in," Auriemma said. "That I have to blend in. That I have to be like all the American seven-year-olds."
Auriemma admitted, however, that fitting in with new people in a new environment was difficult for a young child like him.
"Unfortunately, at that age, I feel like going forward, it created this need that you have to be a lot like those other people," Auriemma said. "But you always felt inferior, so you never could quite [get there]. So you had to find a way to ingratiate yourself."
Auriemma grew up in Montella, Italy, before emigrating to Norristown, Pennsylvania, with his parents and two siblings in 1961. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1994, when he was already 40 years old.
Geno Auriemma rues UConn Huskies' poor 3-point shooting in loss to USC Trojans
Geno Auriemma and the No. 4 UConn Huskies are coming off a gut-wrenching 72-70 loss to the No. 7 USC Trojans on Saturday night. Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong scored 22 points apiece for the Huskies, who are 0-2 against top-10 teams this season.
Auriemma rued the poor 3-point shooting of the Huskies, with UConn making just six of its 23 attempts from beyond the arc against USC. Bueckers shot 2 of 8 from deep while Strong went 1 of 6 from the 3-point area. Auriemma demanded consistency from the Huskies, who scored a record 20 3-pointers in their previous game against Iowa State.