"We've lost that competitive spirit": When a young Geno Auriemma got 100% real about his coaching philosophy at UConn

By 2012, Geno Auriemma was already one of the most respected names in women’s college basketball. At just 58 years old, he had led UConn to seven national championships and turned the program into a dynasty. But despite his success, Auriemma still had strong views on how the sport and the culture around it were changing.

In an in-depth coaching interview with ‘Championship Productions’ in December 2012, Auriemma talked about tactics and player development, while he also went deeper, reflecting on the mindset he expects from his players and what he believes is lacking across the basketball landscape.

“We’ve talked about this over the last five days of practice. The most important thing a coach can figure out is the level of competitiveness their players have,” Auriemma said. “If a player is naturally competitive, you can push them to do things that help them improve and help your team win.”

That hunger to compete, according to Auriemma, is what separates good teams from great ones.

“But if a player isn’t competitive — if they don’t know how to compete, and you try to teach them but it’s not sinking in — then they’re going to struggle,” Auriemma explained. “That kind of player will have a hard time getting better, and your team will have a hard time improving too.”

He stressed that competitiveness is not just about basketball, it translates to life.

“You want to put kids in a competitive environment and hope they learn how to truly compete. And that’s not just about basketball. That’s about competing in the classroom, in the business world after they graduate, in life in general.”

Then came his most direct take, where he noted what the country lacked across the board in the current age.

“Honestly, I think we’ve lost a bit of that competitive spirit in this country. Everyone gets rewarded just for showing up. Everyone gets a medal for participating. But at Connecticut, it doesn’t work like that. You don’t get medals just for being here. You don’t get rewarded for simply showing up.” [Timestamp 1:23 - 2:28]

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Geno Auriemma sent out a warning about the standard at UConn

Auriemma holds the NCAA basketball records for wins and winning percentage with a minimum of 10 seasons, while he has also won the NCAA title 12 times, the most by any coach in men's and women’s college basketball.

The coach revealed the recipe for this in the interview, noting that the standard is high and it requires more than just showing up.

"Kids didn’t become All-Americans here, and banners didn’t go up in this building, just by showing up and saying, ‘Hey coach, I want to give it a shot.’ No—that’s not what we’re about," he said. [Timestamp 2:30 - 2:43].

More than a decade later, that philosophy still defines UConn’s culture and this explains why the standard remains sky high at the Huskies.