“You Can’t Discredit Greatness”: Breanna Stewart Heaps Praise on Geno Auriemma for Becoming Winningest Collegiate Coach

Last month, Geno Auriemma added another chapter to his storybook career. He won his 1,217th game as the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team’s head coach, breaking Tara VanDerveer’s record for most wins in NCAA Division 1 history. He has since tacked on four more and continues to grow his lead. Fans, analysts, and former and current players, including the 45 he coached that made it to the WNBA, congratulated him on achieving the feat, including Breanna Stewart.

She gushed about her former head coach’s achievement and sang his praises during an interview with ESPN. She mentioned how happy she was for Auriemma and remembered how often his accomplishments used to get discredited because of the star caliber of players he coached. Explaining why UConn players love him, Stewart said,

“Coach Auriemma’s the greatest. And you know, I’ve known it, but now to be the all-time winningest coach in collegiate history is something that’s actually insane. And I’m really happy for him because you know sometimes he gets discredited or a lot of opinions here and there, but you can’t discredit greatness. And that’s really it, all the national championships, all the players who have gone through that program, we wouldn’t be where we are without him.”

The guard was part of the Huskies when they won four straight national championships from 2013 to 2016. She was named the Women’s Final Four Most Outstanding Player each year and was the first player to win the award four times. Her dominance under Auriemma at UConn saw her get drafted #1 overall in 2016’s WNBA Draft.

She’s not the first, the second, or the 40th player to benefit massively from Geno’s coaching. However, a few gained more than others. One of those, women’s basketball icon Diana Taurasi, was in attendance as he won his record-breaking 1,217th game. She also paid homage to her former head coach after he surpassed VanDerveer’s mark.

DT pays tribute to Coach Auriemma

There was palpable excitement in the air as the UConn Huskies hosted the Farleigh Dickinson Knights on the 20th of November. Auriemma’s Huskies thrashed the visitors 85-41 to help their head coach break the record and commence the party inside the XL Center.

Taurasi was on hand to kickstart the celebrations. She paid homage to her former head coach with a heartfelt speech, saying,

“I wanna thank you coach… You told me all the things I needed to hear. To make me a better person, a better teammate, a better basketball player. And all those little things day by day, week by week, month by month, you start building this confidence. As I see everyone here, whether we played on the same team decades apart, we always put this jersey on to represent you (Auriemma). Because we know how much you love this team, the game of basketball, and your family.”

Diana Taurasi pays tribute to Geno Auriemma pic.twitter.com/lMxJrtI5md

— UConn Women’s Basketball Videos (@SNYUConn) November 21, 2024

After his 11th national title win in 2016, Auriemma became the most successful head coach in college basketball, surpassing UCLA great John Wooden. It took him eight more years to break the only record that wasn’t already his, but he finally got there. However, he isn’t satisfied and is keen on making it 12 at the end of the season.