“Smart a**es that grab the microphone and ask questions when not supposed to”: When Geno Auriemma roasted A'ja Wilson in front of Dawn Staley and more

Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson was on the receiving end of a roast from UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma in 2015. A video posted by The State on YouTube showed a press conference from February 2015, when Dawn Staley served as an assistant coach under Auriemma, before the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

A'ja Wilson stood up and asked the panel of coaches about the qualities they looked for in a player, to which Auriemma replied:

"My particular favorite is smart a**es that grab the microphone and ask questions when they're not supposed to. I think that's a quality that I look for in players. I think that says a lot about them. "I don't know how the other coaches, but I try to tell players this all the time. It doesn't, I mean, obviously it matters how good you are just being a really good basketball player doesn't get you on the US national team." (Timestamp: 0:23)

He continued to talk about the quality of players that would play for Team USA.

"There's a lot of good players out there that aren't on the team, there's a lot of good players playing that'll never be on that team. "Just being a good player doesn't get you on the team. You've got to have a lot going for you. You've got to care more about your teammates than you do about yourself. You've got to be more concerned about making your teammate better players than about how many."

Wilson also received an offer from the Huskies, but she chose to sign for the Gamecocks instead. She played four seasons, winning one NCAA Championship in the 2016-17 season, under Dawn Staley.

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Dawn Staley replies to Geno Auriemma's swipe at A'ja Wilson

After the Huskies defeated the Gamecocks to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament, head coach Geno Auriemma took what seemed like a subtle dig at A'ja Wilson's statue outside Colonial Life Arena. Wilson led the team to their first-ever title in 2017 and had a statue built in 2021.

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

During Staley's unveiling of her own 14-foot statue this year, the 55-year-old said that A'ja Wilson's statue was not only for the national championship but for all she did for the program.

"I'll admit I wanted hers to be the only one ever," Staley said. "Contrary to the belief of one of my coaching colleagues, her statue wasn't in response to winning a national championship. It was in response to being a winner at life. It's a tribute to a hometown hero, a symbol of what's possible for the youth of Columbia when passion meets preparedness."

Dawn Staley has signed Agot Makeer and Ayla McDowell from the Class of 2025, and will be hoping to add a further stamp to her already incredible coaching career in the upcoming season.

Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, or Kim Mulkey - who is NCAAW's highest-paid coach? Find out here

Edited by John Maxwell