Geno Auriemma’s confrontation with Dawn Staley overshadows her latest historic moment

PHOENIX — Whatever was said in Geno Auriemma’s heated postgame exchange with Dawn Staley wasn’t audible over the din in the arena or on TV. But the subject was no secret.

Auriemma was upset at Staley for a perceived slight before tipoff, accusing her of delaying the traditional coaches’ handshake during the announcement of the starting lineups.

He was upset at the referees for an imbalance of fouls called, especially in the third quarter; and he was upset that the officials hadn’t asked Staley to cool her own rhetoric along the way.

Not for nothing, too, was he upset at Connecticut’s performance in its 62-48 loss to South Carolina in the women’s Final Four. Between the Gamecocks’ stifling defense and the Huskies’ self-inflicted woes, Auriemma’s team shot just 19-for-61 from the field, including 6-for-21 from three-point range.

It boiled over during the game, it boiled over at the buzzer, and it boiled over to the podium afterward. Staley tried to take the high road, and while Auriemma tried at first to not spark any further controversies, he let it out in the end.

“I said what I said, and obviously she didn’t like it,” he said of the incident at the buzzer, where both coaches’ assistants had to step in to restrain their bosses.

» READ MORE: South Carolina’s stunning win over UConn marred by Dawn Staley-Geno Auriemma altercation

“I’m of the opinion that if I ever talk to an official like that, I would get tossed,” he said of his view of Staley’s sideline manner. “So I just want to make sure there’s not a double standard, that some people are allowed to talk to officials like that and other people are not.”

Social media erupted, as it always does, as a result. Once the referees stopped the clock with 0.1 seconds left to calm the benches, there was no question about what the night’s biggest headline would be.

It duly was, and it ran over a headline that will last a lot longer in the history books.

South Carolina’s win made Staley just the fourth head coach in the NCAA women’s tournament era, which started in 1982, to reach at least three straight championship games. The only others to do it are Auriemma twice (2002 to 2004 and 2013 to 2016), Tennessee legend Pat Summitt (1995 to 1998), and one you might not know: Auburn’s Joe Ciampi (1988 to 1990).

Sunday’s title showdown with fellow No. 1 seed UCLA (3:30 p.m., 6abc) also will be Staley’s fifth championship game overall. That took the North Philadelphia native past Kim Mulkey’s four between Baylor and LSU and tied her with Stanford legend Tara VanDerveer. It’s one behind Louisiana Tech legend Leon Barmore’s six (including one where he officially was co-head coach).

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There’s still a long way to go until Staley catches Auriemma and Summitt, tied for first with 13 appearances each. But if South Carolina wins this title, or whenever the next one might be, Staley will pass VanDerveer and tie Mulkey for No. 3 all time with four nets cut down. Only Auriemma’s 12 and Summitt’s eight stand beyond that.

Asked Friday night about reaching another title game, Staley gave a remarkably reflective answer.

“I’m still haunted by 2023,” she said of the one year of the last five when South Carolina didn’t make the final. The Gamecocks were 36-0 entering the Final Four, then Caitlin Clark dropped 41 points on them to carry Iowa to a 77-73 win.

“I’m haunted by that particular Final Four because of the players that we had and the season that we were having,” Staley continued, referring to a senior class led by Aliyah Boston. “We won it the following year, but that particular group was pretty special, and I’m still haunted by it.”

» READ MORE: Dawn Staley didn’t want to play for Pat Summitt — ‘she’s too much like my mom’ — but didn’t mind losing to her either

She admitted that her current players wouldn’t get why a past loss moves her so much. But it pushes her in how she coaches them.

“For me, I just try to, if we ever get the opportunity to be in that position again, which we were today, we want to lay it on the line,” Staley said. “I thought our kids locked into that.”

Proof came from senior guard Ta’Niya Latson. The nation’s top scorer at Florida State last season had to sacrifice when she transferred to Staley’s program, and she did again Friday. Of her 16 points, just six came from the floor, and four came from her team’s first two baskets of the game.

But she was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, including 6-for-6 in the last two minutes, and she also had 11 rebounds and two assists.

» READ MORE: In a season of change for South Jersey’s Hannah Hidalgo, she led Notre Dame to new heights

“Coach was pretty mad going into the half,” Latson said of a moment when the Gamecocks trailed, 26-24. “She was yelling, ‘Meet the moment!’ Meet the moment!’ I mean, we couldn’t be scared to play on this stage, especially against UConn.”

They weren’t scared, they met the moment, and now they can aim for the biggest moment of all.

While Auriemma earned the criticism he drew for his words, some critics also were ready to pounce on something else: claims that Connecticut’s 38-0 record before Friday’s tipoff was lightweight.

It’s true that the Huskies played an easier schedule this season than they have at times, but that will change next season. They’ll visit Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Louisville and play Duke, South Carolina, LSU, and Maryland on neutral floors.

» READ MORE: Born in The Inquirer’s newsroom, the AP women’s basketball poll ‘has stood the test of time’

But it’s worth noting how rare undefeated seasons have been for UConn over the years, including teams with more stars than this one.

Paige Bueckers never did it. Napheesa Collier only did it as a freshman, and that was Breanna Stewart’s senior year. Stewart’s sophomore year was the last time a UConn team went 40-0, as this edition would have, had it won the title.

That Stewart and Maya Moore did it twice each is a reflection of how extraordinary they were, but even they couldn’t do it alone. Stewart had Moriah Jefferson, Kia Nurse, Gabby Williams, and Stefanie Dolson as teammates. Moore had Tina Charles, Tiffany Hayes, and Renee Montgomery.

“Trying to do that in today’s day and age,” Auriemma said, “it’s always been difficult, don’t get me wrong. … It’s really hard, it’s always been hard, and that’s why I don’t like the narrative — November, December, January, February, I don’t care when it is. Because there’s too many good teams left to play, there’s too many big moments left to to play in.”

And as he said at another point, “I can’t tell them, ‘Hey, let’s make the game close.’ So it is what it is. We just weren’t good enough tonight. It has nothing to do with going through adversity or no adversity.”

They will go through adversity again starting next fall. But with KK Arnold as a senior and Sarah Strong as a superstar junior, there are plenty of reasons to believe they’ll be in Philadelphia in March when the regional rounds come to town, then in Columbus, Ohio, in April for the Final Four.