$18M-worth Geno Auriemma lavishes praise on UConn alums for role in team's success: "If you weren't there, there'd be no us"

UConn coach Geno Auriemma won his 12th national championship in April, with the Huskies beating the South Carolina Gamecocks. Auriemma took his victory tour since the natty win, with a well-attended parade in Storrs with his championship-winning team.

On Tuesday, Auriemma rung the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange before the $18 million-worth UConn coach (as per Celebrity Net Worth) recognized the value of the Huskies' alumni to the team's success.

"It's not about me, it's not about my team necessarily but it's about the people who appreciate what we do," Geno Auriemma said (9:15). "It's about you and your ability to enjoy what we do. When things like this happen, like it happened last year on the men's side, that makes it three years in a row. That makes you as a UConn alum and a supporter bigger than you were last year.

"Bigger than you were the year before. Because everything that we do reflects on you and that to me is the biggest thing that we get out of this. We get to live it every day, but you're sitting here watching, cheering and supporting and if you weren't there, there would be no us. So, we're here because of you, and you're here because of us."

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Geno Auriemma shares special connection with UConn alumni

When he went to New York to ring the opening bell at the Stock Exchange, Geno Auriemma had a special reconnection with a unique UConn alumni. The Chief Development Officer at the New York Stock Exchange, Chris Taylor, was a UConn freshman when Auriemma had taken the Huskies job in 1985.

During his speech, the UConn alumni heaped praise on Auriemma for his dominant national championship win after a nine-year title drought.

“This year’s championship was truly a special one,” Taylor said. “I think a lot of people counted UConn women’s basketball out as the dominant program in this country and had maybe even counted Coach Auriemma and Coach (Chris) Dailey and his great staff out as well.

"They proved that wrong with a 12th national championship. Watching a team peak at the right time is truly a joy to watch, and this country experienced another great UConn women’s basketball team this year.”

Geno Auriemma remained in New York after ringing the opening bell to collect the Winged Foot Award alongside Florida Gators coach Todd Golden. The award recognizes both the men's and women's basketball national champions.