“They didn’t know you were all hungover”- Sue Bird reveals Geno Auriemma’s iconic speech from 2010 FIBA World Cup
Sue Bird enjoyed immense success under the guidance of Geno Auriemma. Besides playing for the UConn Huskies from 1998 to 2002, Bird was also the head coach of Team USA from 2009 to 2016.
It's only natural for the five-time Olympic gold medalist to have some incredible stories of Auriemma, and she was happy to share one on October 10, when she appeared on an episode of Thanasis Antetokounmpo's podcast, "Thanalysis."
Bird recalled an instance when Auriemma was addressing Team USA during a game against Australia in pool play at the 2010 FIBA World Cup. Prior to the tournament, Australia, according to Bird, "killed" USA in an exhibition game during the WNBA All-Star break, an event which the 11-time NCAA champion used to motivate his team.
"It was during All-Star weekend and if anyone has been doing All-Star weekend, they know like, you're usually going out, you're having a good time, it's a celebration, not a lot of sleep," said Bird.
"So, we get to the World Cup a couple of months later, and we play them (Australia) in pool play. When we get there, he's giving us this pregame speech.
"He sets the stage and he's like, 'You know last time we played Australia, they killed you guys. They got every loose ball' and then he sums it up like, 'But they didn't know you were all hung over! So let's go kill them!'"
Team USA ended up winning the game 83-75, with Diana Taurasi leading the team's scoring with 24 points. Auriemma would build on this win, ultimately leading them to the first of his two FIBA World Cup victories.
Sue Bird won several titles under Geno Auriemma
Sue Bird was one of many players who thrived under Auriemma. She was part of the Huskies teams which won the national championship in 2000 and 2002, before the Seattle Storm made her the top pick in the 2002 WNBA draft.
Auriemma was an assistant coach for Team USA when they struck gold in the 2000 Olympics, before achieving the same success in the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics as head coach. Bird was part of all three teams, and also won gold medals in 2004 and 2008.
Bird established herself as one of the WNBA's greatest players, winning four championships with the Storm and making 13 WNBA All-Star appearances before retiring in 2022.