When 12x NCAA champ Geno Auriemma named his wife as his most treasured possession: “If I say anything else I would have to hear about it” 

UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma discussed his achievements, motto, interests, likes and dislikes in a 2012 interview.

Among the questions asked was about his most treasured possession, which he answered lightheartedly.

"I know somehow this DVD will find itself into my house because I know she'll be watching — my wife," Auriemma said, via FIBA Basketball. "I have to say my wife. If I say anything else I would have to hear about it."

Auriemma also mentioned his family as he talked about his greatest achievement.

"For a little kid who was wearing clothes that his mother made him and who had two pairs of pants in high school, one for Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and one pair for Tuesday and Thursday," Auriemma said. "I've got three kids, one of them's married and has a baby, the other's in graduate school and is probably going to be a college professor, and my son is playing basketball in college. They're all happy and healthy and they're great. And I've got a beautiful wife who's great. Life is good."

By 2012, Auriemma was already one of the most successful coaches in basketball history. He started with UConn in 1985 and turned it into a powerhouse. Auriemma earned seven NCAA titles (1995, 2000, 2002–04, 2009, 2010) and four undefeated seasons with the Huskies.

He reached 800 career wins faster than any coach in men’s or women’s college basketball. Auriemma was inducted into the Naismith and Women’s Basketball Halls of Fame in 2006. In 2012, he led Team USA to Olympic gold in London as the first college coach to head the women’s national team in the WNBA era.

Geno Auriemma’s coaching legacy since 2012

After 2012, Geno Auriemma led UConn to four consecutive NCAA championships from 2013 to 2016, and coached Team USA to Olympic gold in 2016. From 2017 and 2023, UConn suffered Final Four defeats, but reclaimed the title this year. It was the program’s 12th national championship, winning 82-59 over South Carolina.

Auriemma became the all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division I history in November, surpassing Stanford's Tara VanDerveer. He has a 1,250-165 career coaching record.

Auriemma signed a contract extension in June that would last until April 2029.

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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez