Geno Auriemma shares funny story on Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and other UConn legends: "They won't even let you get to the front of the bus"

UConn coach Geno Auriemma shared a funny anecdote after the Huskies won the national championship over South Carolina on Sunday in Tampa, Florida. During UConn's championship rally on Monday, he delivered a funny story about the Huskies alumna who attended the championship game.

Auriemma saw his former players Rebecca Lobo, Jamele Elliott, Jen Rizotti, Sue Bird, Jessica Moore, Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck hanging around a patio celebrating the championship. He also counted on his mind how many championships they contributed to the program.

"I was counting," Auriemma said (Timestamp: 5:29). "And by the time I finish counting. Let's see. There's Rebecca. She has one, and there's Jamele Elliott, she has one. And there's Jen Rizotti. She has one. And there's Sue. She has two. And then there's Jessica Moore. She has three. And then there's Stewie and Tuck. They have four each."

The alumna he saw had a combined 27 national championships during his 40-year tenure with UConn. Still, the winningest coach in NCAA Division I history was dumbstruck at how the seating arrangement was inside the bus they rented for the championship. He said one-time champions were seated at the back while the others were at the front.

"Most other places, if you win one 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."

Geno Auriemma clinched his 12th title despite being a No. 2 seed entering the NCAA Tournament. He and his team beat No. 1 seeds USC, UCLA and South Carolina to win the national title, further cementing his legacy as the winningest coach in college basketball history.

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Geno Auriemma recalls magical run to the championship

UConn coach Geno Auriemma described the last three weeks of the Huskies' championship run as magical. He is still trying to figure out what flipped the switch that turned the UConn magic back on after having a drought of nine years.

But one thing is for certain, Auriemma saw what previous Connecticut teams do in all-important games — win by a mile. This year's Huskies team had the third-largest margin of victory in the Final Four and the national championship (34 points against UCLA in the Final Four and 23 against South Carolina in the championship game).

Auriemma pointed to the inspiration the older players give to their underclassmen as this helped motivate them during the run. He believes that the team's winning reputation says a lot for the future players who want to follow the footsteps of legends such as Rebecca Lobo, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and now Paige Bueckers.

"It inspires some kids," Auriemma said. "It inspires them. ‘I want to be that. I want to do that.’ People ask me why I keep coaching. I keep coaching because I want them to feel right now what they feel, because every one of them did ‘that.’”

The Huskies may have weeks to celebrate their title-clinching, but the quest for back-to-back is creeping on the minds of Auriemma and the holdovers, who are thinking of a possible dynasty with the talent remaining with the team despite Bueckers' departure this season.

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