"Who's going to retire first, Geno or Novak Djokovic?": Radenka Maric showers praise on UConn HC following 12th national championship

Women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma and UConn president Radenka Maric represented the university at the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. The event celebrated the school's latest NCAA championship title last month, which came by defeating the defending champions, South Carolina.

As Maric and Auriemma were called onto the stage, the president heaped praises on the coach and his four decades of dedication to the school. Nevertheless, in classic Auriemma fashion, she couldn't help but crack jokes about the coach's tenure, comparing it with Novak Djokovic.

"It's hard to describe him because these days, we don't have the leaders for 40 years who are true leaders," she said (at 3:48). "People who put every day what they say into action. Geno is on the court with team, he builds the trust, he loves them, he cares about them ..."

"The most important thing is the experience and the mentor that you have and the mentor that Geno ... who is going to retire first Geno or Novak Djokovic - I don't want to predict. But I want them to go strong each year and each season."

Geno Auriemma began coaching the UConn Huskies in 1985. The school only had one winning season and no NCAA tournament appearance before his arrival.

It took him four years to push the school to its first tourney, and it nearly took a decade to lift the school's first NCAA championship in 1995.

Geno Auriemma clapped back at UConn president Radenka Maric

Reflecting on his time with the university and the basketball program, Geno Auriemma compared UConn's gradual success to the New York Stock Exchange. He expressed that it wouldn't have been possible without the trust, effort and time of countless of people over the years.

However, as Auriemma praised Radenka Maric for pushing the boundaries and elevating the school, he joked that her challenging ideas often keep the staff up at night.

"Our president, as you know, is high energy - a lot of ideas," he said (at 6:48).

"She keeps a lot of people up at night, trying to figure out how to implement her ideas. She never sleeps, so she makes sure no one else sleeps."

Geno Auriemma became the all-time winningest coach in college ball's history. With his 12th title, he made the Huskies the program with the most NCAA championships ever, surpassing UCLA Bruins' men's roster.