Geno Auriemma has won 11 NCAA championships and a trio of Olympic gold medals while coaching many of the greatest players in the history of the sport.
But when asked who is the best player he has coached over his four-decade career, the Hall of Famer doesn’t hesitate to answer Diana Taurasi.
“No. 12,” Auriemma told the Sporting News, referring to Taurasi’s jersey number for Team USA. “There have been great players who, mentally, are at a level above everyone else. And there have been great players who, physically, were at a level above everyone else. And there have been guys who have had a bigger heart and had a greater will.
“How many do you know who have all three? They’re the smartest guy on the floor every time they step out on the floor, they’re the most competitive player and they’re the most skilled guy.”
Taurasi, 34, likely just finished up the final Olympics of her distinguished career this week with a four gold medal. She led the Americans in scoring through the preliminary round by averaging 14.2 points per game.
The moment was especially meaningful for Taurasi with Auriemma as her coach. Between their four years together at Connecticut and additional time with the national team, the all-time great player-coach pair owns a 181-9 record.
“Coach does a really good job of keeping us focused,” Taurasi said. “Thinking of one thing. It has nothing to do with the other team or the score or the gold medal or the Olympics or anything. It’s very small goals. It’s, how good do you want to be as an individual? He challenges you with that, with every play. And we respect that. With him, it is like, you can prove me right or prove me wrong. And everybody on this team wants to prove him wrong.”
While many young women now dream of playing for Auriemma, the coach feels just as fortunate to have Taurasi as his most accomplished student.
“I am lucky,” he said, “that I got to coach her since she was 18.”