Dawn Staley statue comments, explained: South Carolina coach fires back at Geno Auriemma during unveiling ceremony

Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma have enjoyed their fair share of clashes over the years. Most have occurred on the court — as two of the most successful coaches of their (or any) era, Staley and Auriemma's sides have faced off more times than most in recent seasons.

As of late, though, the South Carolina play-caller and UConn tactician have also flapped their gums at one another. Call it gamesmanship, call it a friendly rivalry, but when Staley and Auriemma have locked horns in recent seasons, fireworks have tended to follow.

Case in point: Wednesday afternoon, when Staley appeared to diss Auriemma while the Gamecocks celebrated her glistening legacy with a statue.

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Dawn Staley statue comments about Geno Auriemma, explained

Staley was less than pleased with Auriemma's suggestion that other schools have a less rigorous standard for erecting statues than the Huskies. Auriemma appeared to downplay A'ja Wilson's accomplishments during UConn's national championship ceremony earlier in the month, telling fans the following:

"Most other places if you win one national championship, they build a status to you outside the building. Here, they won't even let you get to the front of the bus."

Staley interpreted the remark as being directed toward Wilson, who saw her countenance plastered onto a sculpture in 2021, just three years after she departed from Columbia.

Her former head coach's response on Wednesday was firm.

MORE: Geno Auriemma-Dawn Staley history timeline

"Contrary to the belief of one of my coaching colleagues, her statue wasn't in response to winning a national championship," Staley said. "It was in response to being a winner at life.

"It's a tribute to a hometown hero, a symbol for what is possible for the youth of Columbia when passion meets preparedness."

Wednesday's spat doesn't represent the first time Staley and Auriemma haven't seen eye-to-eye. Auriemma famously criticized South Carolina for its defensive habits after an especially physical regular season matchup back in 2023.

At present, Auriemma leads the head-to-head series between the two coaches, posting a 10-5 record across 15 games. Staley's team has won five of its last eight jousts against the Huskies. But Auriemma took home the gold in each of their last two affairs, including an 82-59 victory in the national championship game.