$18M worth Geno Auriemma admits to "still being nervous 40 years after starting at UConn", says coaching more extreme than playing

Geno Auriemma will be seeking his 12th national championship when the UConn Huskies start their campaign in the 2025 NCAA Tournament later this month. Despite all of his accomplishments, Auriemma admitted in the third episode of "Legendary Basketball" on YouTube on Wednesday that he still feels nervous in his 40th year of coaching at UConn.

Auriemma told fellow UConn coach Dan Hurley that the worst part of growing up was having that empty feeling when the season ended and not having his teammates around him. Hurley echoed Auriemma's sentiment, saying that he feels emotionally and physically bankrupt once the season concludes.

Auriemma, who is worth $18 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, told Hurley that losing hurts more for them coaches than their players.

"There’s nothing like winning, and there’s nothing worse than losing when you’re a coach, 'cause you’re responsible for all of them," Auriemma said (Timestamp 1:48). "When you’re a player, you kind of take on your own responsibility."

Geno Auriemma wouldn't have it any other way, as the competition makes him young. He shared that he still feels the nerves while coaching the Huskies this season.

"You know, still being nervous 40 years after starting at UConn about an exhibition game that we’re going to look terrible. That’s not normal. Most guys my age, they’re not getting nervous about anything, but it helps us live," Auriemma said.

Auriemma added that he knows a lot of people his age that look and act way older than him because they don't hang around with 20-year-olds every day like he does with his UConn players.

Geno Auriemma takes his 40-year philosophy into challenging Big East Tournament

With the regular season done and dusted, Geno Auriemma's focus now shifts to the Big East Tournament, which will begin on Friday. The UConn Huskies are the tournament's top seed after they finished the regular season with a perfect 18-0 record in the Big East Conference.

UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma watches from the sideline as they take on the Marquette Golden Eagles at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Photo: Imagn

The Huskies, who received a first-round bye, will face the winner of the showdown between the St. John's Red Storm and the Butler Bulldogs in the quarterfinals on Saturday. If UConn wins that quarterfinal clash, the Huskies will next face the winner of the Marquette vs. Villanova showdown in the semifinals on Sunday.