South Carolina's Dawn Staley jokes about leaving before breaking Geno Auriemma’s all-time win record
A head coach breaking the all-time record in career wins would prompt the question "can they do it" to the next coach who has a shot at doing it. For Dawn Staley, she joked about leaving South Carolina before reaching the mark that huskies" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">UConn coach Geno Auriemma did.
Following an 85-41 victory against the FDU Knights on Nov. 20, Auriemma set the record with 1,217 career wins and counting. He has been the Huskies' coach for 40 years and has elevated the program to historic heights with multiple national championship and conference titles under his belt.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley reflected on her colleague's accomplishment while speaking to reporter Matt Dowell on Nov. 22. She gave credit to Auriemma's ability to have an impact and maintain it for 40 years.
"You don't stick around for 40 years and not have an impact," Staley said. "I mean, he's had an impact on the collegiate level, he's had an impact on the WNBA. And so does (Auriemma's assistant) Chris Dailey.
"They both have been in it a really long time, and I tip my hat to them, because they're probably going to be the only ones that stay as long as they stayed in our game ... They've impacted our game, and they continue to do so," Staley added.
When Dowell followed up with the question of whether she would be in pursuit of breaking the record, Staley made her response clear with some humor involved.
"I will never break that record. I might break the record to getting out quicker," she said.
Dawn Staley's history with South Carolina against Geno Auriemma's UConn
Dawn Staley has been the Gamecocks' coach since taking the job in 2008. She has since had 13 encounters with Auriemma's Huskies.
Auriemma does have the edge over Staley in these games, having an 8-5 record against her Gamecocks. However, South Carolina has won five of the last six duels, including an active streak of four since November 2021.
The last time these teams faced one another was in February earlier this year, where South Carolina came out victorious by a score of 83-65.
Four players scored in double-digits for the Gamecocks. Te-Hina Paopao scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma will have their 14th matchup coming soon, when the Gamecocks host the Huskies at the Colonial Life Arena on Feb. 16, 2025, at 1 p.m. ET.