UConn’s Geno Auriemma Becomes No. 2 Winningest College Basketball Coach

The UConn women’s basketball team’s win Monday night against the Creighton Blue Jays pushed Coach Geno Auriemma into new territory. With his 1,203 career wins, he is now second in wins in Division I basketball history. Now, he attempts to chase down Stanford’s coach Tara VanDerveer.

How He Got There

Auriemma signed with UConn in 1985, but his history with basketball expands beyond the Huskies. He was the head coach of the USA women’s basketball team from 2009 to 2016, winning gold medals and world championships twice. However, with the Huskies, he has pushed the women’s team into elite territory. He led the team to six undefeated seasons and 11 National Championships.

He spoke in a postgame press conference on Monday about how his perspective on coaching has changed throughout his coaching career.

1,203 and counting … 🙌

Geno Auriemma passes Coach K for the 2nd-most wins in D-I women’s or men’s basketball history 👏 @UConnWBB pic.twitter.com/5VYK6pL6bo

— ESPN (@espn) February 19, 2024

What’s Next

The only thing standing between Auriemma and history is coach VanDerveer. But it doesn’t seem like she plans on slowing down any time soon. She was the first coach in Division I to rack up 500 wins in a single conference last season.

Auriemma ends the season with three games against DePaul, Villanova and Providence. The Huskies are ranked No. 15 in the nation, and they are ranked No. 1 in the Big East. Aaliyah Edwards has been dominant in UConn’s games, helping Auriemma to succeed as a coach. The team will compete for the third season in March Madness, and they hope to repeat the success of previous years which brought them to the finals in 2022.

Eleventh 20-point game of the season for Aaliyah Edwards vs. Creighton!

She’s averaging 17.5 PPG and 8.7 RPG vs. ranked opponents this year 👏 pic.twitter.com/wnssLaTfa5

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) February 20, 2024