Napheesa Collier's husband Alex Bazell reacts to Lynx superstar's praise for UConn coach Geno Auriemma's historic milestone

Modified Nov 21, 2024 19:19 GMT

Napheesa Collier played for coach Geno Auriemma for four years at UConn. On Wednesday, Auriemma became the winningest coach in NCAA history after UConn beat Fairleigh Dickinson 85-41 at Gampel Pavilion, with Collier and other former Huskies stars in attendance.

After the historic feat, Collier congratulated Auriemma, praising his leadership.

"Congratulations, Coach! Can’t explain what your leadership has meant over the years. Was so happy I got to celebrate this moment with you!" Collier wrote.

Collier's husband Alex Bazzell reacted to the post.

Auriemma was tied for most wins with Tara VanDerveer, the former Stanford coach who retired earlier this year. With his latest victory, he has now won a total of 1,217th games in his career.

Auriemma is an eight-time Naismith Coach of the Year, a nine-time AP Coach of the Year, and helped the US Women's team win gold medals in three different Olympics.

Napheesa Collier recalls her favorite coach Geno Auriemma's moment

When it came to choosing her college, Napheesa Collier didn't even hesitate to commit to UConn Huskies because of the camaraderie that she saw in the culture. Under Auriemma, UConn had built a winning culture and she was immediately drawn to it.

However, it wasn't the most comfortable ride for Collier. Collier recalled the day when Auriemma humbled her for her defense.

The reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year said one time during practice, Auriemma told her a plastic cone on the floor did a better job on defense than her.

"I think my favorite Coach Geno moment, I think would be in practice when he said there's a cone on the floor and the cone defended better than I could defend," Napheesa Collier said. "That was a humbling experience."

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Collier won a NCAA championship in 2019 with UConn. In 150 games with the Huskies, she averaged 16.0 points on 61.3% shooting from the field and 33.7% from the 3-point range. She also averaged 8.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.7 blocks per game.

Collier holds several records for UConn after four years. She is ranked No. 3 in UConn history in total points, and No. 4 in total rebounds.