"I've really learned to appreciate the Yankees": When Geno Auriemma compared expectations at UConn to New York's dynasty

UConn coach Geno Auriemma led the Huskies to the national championship in April, which was his and the program's 12th title. Despite the healthy number of titles he has won in his long career, Auriemma has said the championship drought he experienced between 2016 and 2025 made him doubt whether he would win another one amid widespread criticism from fans and analysts.

During a May 2015 segment of the "Michael Kay Show," Auriemma joined legendary Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski to speak about their championship-winning teams. Auriemma compared the expectations to always win at UConn to the MLB juggernaut, the New York Yankees.

"I’ve really learned to appreciate the Yankees, you know, because it’s like—the season starts when the World Series starts," Auriemma said (3:25). "And right away, it’s only considered a good year if you win. If you don’t, it was a lousy year. The bar is set so high that I think it actually works in your favor, believe it or not. When the bar is really high, you tend to live up to those expectations.

"Is it hard? It gets hard at times. Every time you lose a game, it’s ‘What did you do wrong?’ not ‘The other team played great.’ That’s the one part that’s changed. I don’t know—maybe it’s the social media era—but when you lose, it’s like you did something wrong and you need to explain it. Well, what about the other guys? You know, they’re pretty good too."

Geno Auriemma turned UConn into a winning machine

Geno Auriemma has been the UConn Huskies coach for 40 years, and he has made them a winning machine and the most successful women's team in the country. In all, the Huskies have reached 24 Final Fours during his tenure, and Auriemma has a stunning 12-1 record in national championship games, only losing in 2022 to the South Carolina Gamecocks.

During his postgame news conference after winning the national title, Auriemma revealed the doubt he had to endure as UConn's title drought stretched to eight years. He highlighted the expectations that have come to surround the program despite reaching the Final Four in that time, bar one year.

"But you make the decision you're not finished yet, and then three, four years go by, and people start telling you that UConn is not UConn anymore and it's somebody else's turn," Auriemma said. "And then five years go by, and six years go by, and seven years go by."

When he won the title in April, Geno Auriemma became the oldest coach in the country to win a national title and proved that the UConn Huskies are still a force to be reckoned with. He further revealed that he had no plans to retire and will continue to set records in Storrs next season.