“Not like she could compete against Dwyane Wade”: When Geno Auriemma pushed back on gender comparisons in sports using Maya Moore's example 

Geno Auriemma has been coaching the UConn women's basketball team for 40 years. However, he has always been against gender comparisons in sports.

In April 2011, Auriemma and then-Huskies star Mayar Moore discussed how the men vs. women playing field in basketball wasn't evenly contested due to the differences in development between the two genders.

"From the beginning, as boys, you have Little League and soccer," Geno Auriemma said (via ESPN). Girls compete very well against the boys. That's because the boys haven't grown up yet. As you get to high school, things start to change. High school girls don't have a lot of sports they can relate to. They try out for some boys' teams. When was the last time you saw a boy try out for a girls' team? You know they don't want to get beaten by a girl.

"As you get to college, women are competing against women at a certain level of excellence. But the chauvinists start to come out. The goal should always be to compete against my peers. But people want to see the battle of the sexes. They don't appreciate the sport on its own merits."

Auriemma also gave an example of his player, Moore, a two-time national champion at UConn, who couldn't potentially compete at the same level against then-NBA star Dwyane Wade.

"Let's take runner Usain Bolt. Can he outrun a defensive back in pro football? Why would you even consider that? He is running against other runners. Maya Moore is the best at what she does. You don't have to do anything to validate her as a player. It's not like she could compete against Dwyane Wade. And why should she?," Auriemma added.

Former Maya Moore also backed Geno Auriemma's statements on gender comparisons during the interview with ESPN, using former racing driver Danica Patrick as an example.

"This is all new territory for me," Moore said when asked about people talking about the men vs. women battle.

"I know they want to see men versus women for the interest of a particular sport. But you need to be on an even playing field. That's why I like Danica Patrick. For Danica, she is in a sport where the car is a major factor. She has skills to drive well, but she doesn't need to personally be stronger or faster."

Moore was taken by the Minnesota Lynx as the No. 1 pick at the 2011 WNBA draft. She went on to win four WNBA titles across eight years with them. Moore stepped away from the WNBA in 2019 to focus on criminal justice reform and is now a social justice advocate.

Moore is set to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later this year.

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Geno Auriemma plans to extend his legacy at UConn after winning record-extending 12th national title

UConn HC Geno Auriemma - Source: Getty

Geno Auriemma won his 12th national title at UConn in April, when his Huskies beat South Carolina in the final.

Auriemma, who already had more national titles than any other coach in the history of college basketball, added another championship to his collection. However, at 71, he has no plans of retiring just yet.

Geno Auriemma will return to UConn for his 41st season to try and build on his legacy. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and is also the winningest coach in college basketball history, with 1,250 wins.