When Geno Auriemma admitted retiring after Breanna Stewart's graduation would've been the "sane" thing while relating to Tom Brady's mentality
Geno Auriemma once reflected on his career and mindset in an interview with "What Drives Winning" released on Nov. 7, 2022. Resorting to Tom Brady's 2005 "60 Minutes" interview with Steve Kroft, Auriemma claimed that he also often finds himself questioning the length of his coaching career and whether he should have retired years ago.
Brady, in his interview, stated that while many athletes would be content with three Super Bowl rings, he won till then, he was looking for something more. Auriemma also referred to the same mentality and explained that he wanted more at the time.
"I think what I've created for myself personally and for my profession are such unreal expectations," Auriemma said. "I wake up every day, I keep thinking back to when Stewie (Breanna Stewarts) graduated and we had just won four national championships in a row."
"And a normal sane human being would have just got on their horse and rode off into the sunset with Stewie. And you would be a legend for life. I said you know what - I think I can do it again - and I'm still waiting to do it again."
Geno Auriemma's last NCAA championship came in 2016. It was his 11th national title in his coaching career and fourth consecutive alongside the once-in-a-generation talent of Breanna Stewart.
The title not only solidified the UConn Huskies' dominance in the women's basketball space but also the superiority of Auriemma's coaching, recruiting, culture and playbook. The 2016 championship also tied the Lady Huskies to UCLA Bruins' men's basketball program for the most NCAA titles in college basketball history.
Geno Auriemma found his Breanna Stewart this season
It seems Geno Auriemma's wait is finally over. As freshman Sarah Strong shouldered Paige Bueckers’ struggling offense, the coach compared the forward to Breanna Stewart after the win over No. 22 Louisville.
"I don't know that anyone has had the offensive skillset Sarah has since Stewie was here," Auriemma said in the post-game interview.
Moreover, that was not the only time Auriemma compared the freshman to the program great. After the previous game against Holy Cross, Strong spearheaded the Huskies with 22 points, while Bueckers scored 11. The performance prompted Auriemma to begin the comparison with the WNBA champion.
"I remember Stewie (Breanna Stewart) had a November and a kind of mid December blowout where she was just the best player in the country, until she wasn't.
"Because things happen when you're a freshman. Sarah has a really good outlook on the game. She seems to know what we need at what moment, and you can see it. And when she gets comfortable, she thinks that any shot she takes is going in."
Sarah Strong is averaging 16.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 56.1%. She is coming off her career-best 29-point outing against Iowa State Cyclones on 10 of 18 shooting.