$18 million worth Geno Auriemma recalls having to protect his friends from strict father: “They never spent any time at my house”

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma shared a personal story about why he rarely invited friends to his home during his youth.

"In What Drives Winning," a YouTube series focused on building successful teams, Auriemma joined host Brett Ledbetter and Performance Psychologist Jim Loehr for an episode.

Ledbetter asked Auriemma what comes to mind when he hears a story about a coach who, after visiting an affluent friend’s home, gets dropped off at his grandmother’s house instead of his own. Auriemma shared his thoughts and related it to his own experiences.

"I spent very little time at home, at my house. My family didn’t get a car all through till I got to be a senior in high school when I could drive around," Auriemma said (11:10 - 12:26 onwards).

"So I was totally dependent on my friends. I couldn’t go anywhere without them picking me up. So I was never home; they never spent any time at my house. I was always somewhere else, not that I was ashamed of my house or ashamed of my family, it just didn’t look like or feel like theirs," Auriemma added.

He also mentioned that it might have been beneficial for his friends to avoid his strict father.

"Maybe it was protection for them too because if they would call my house and my father would answer the phone, ‘Hello, is Geno there?’ he would just put the phone down and go look for me. So on the other end, they thought, ‘What the hell?’" Auriemma remarked.

"So nobody called my house anyway. So it wasn’t really typical, 'Hey, we’ll have dinner at your house,'" Auriemma added.

Auriemma Reflects on UConn's Loss to USC

Geno Auriemma's UConn team holds a 10-2 record and leads the Big East Conference. Despite a strong start to the season at No. 2, the highly regarded UConn squad has stumbled in crucial games, losing to ranked opponents Notre Dame and, most recently, USC to go 0-2 in Top 10 matchups.

The Huskies lost 72-70 in front of the nearly 16,000 Hartford crowd and Auriemma spoke about the team's struggles during a disastrous first half against the Women of Troy. The Huskies were outscored 42-29 by USC at the XL Center last Saturday.

"I thought the execution part in the first half was just as bad as I've seen in a few years here in Connecticut," Auriemma said after the game.

He praised the thrilling battle between UConn star Paige Bueckers and USC standout Juju Watkins. Bueckers delivered 22 points, three rebounds, and two assists on 9-of-22 shooting, but Watkins had the final word, turning in a stellar performance with 25 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks to secure a two-point victory for USC.

"They both have unique styles, but the whole country is still familiar with them... this is how far the game has come," Auriemma remarked.

UConn will now take a long holiday break before hosting Providence on December 29 for their final game of 2024.