Dan Hurley’s wife Andrea emotional as Geno Auriemma puts NCAA championship net on his grandchild

Geno Auriemma stood with the championship net in his hand on Sunday at the Amalie Arena and gently placed it over his granddaughter, Gia. UConn defeated the defending champs South Carolina 82-59 in the NCAA final to hand Auriemma his 12th national title.

Andrea Hurley, wife of UConn's men's basketball coach Dan Hurley, was moved by Auriemma placing the net on his grandchild. She reshared the post by March Madness on her Instagram story with a cute emoji.

Andrea's post for Auriemma and his grandchild | via @marchmadnesswbb

Geno Auriemma had another heartwarming moment with his granddaughter earlier in the year. During the 2025 Super Bowl between the Philadelphia and the Kansas City Chiefs, Auriemma was seen donning matching Eagles jerseys with Gia at Cafe Aura in Connecticut.

Another post indicates that it is a family tradition for Auriemma to have his granddaughter by his side at the cafe.

"It’s a family tradition at Cafe Aura. Most call him Coach, but to granddaughter Gia, he’s Pop. Tonight, this little lady is calling the shots! 👶 🍊" the post read.

His wife, Kathy Auriemma, has also developed a unique bond with his players, one where the athletes feel comfortable opening up to her.

"There were times when players would show up at my house and I'll be like, 'What are you doing here?' he said on Sunday (via CT Post). "They came to have dinner with Kathy. I would just leave. I would go find something to do."

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Geno Auriemma on retiring from college basketball

While previewing the NCAA championship game against South Carolina, Geno Auriemma said that he had internally quit being the Huskies coach many times in the last five years.

However, he said that he intends to coach till he can retain his players' attention and get them to believe in his system.

"Saying no is very, very difficult for me - No, I'm done, no, I'm not going to do that," he said (via Stamford Advocate). "And the minute my players don't respond, the minute I can't get my team to respond in the way I want them to respond, then I'll know that's the time to walk away.

"Right now, I'm still getting the response that makes me feel like I'm relevant. When I stop becoming relevant, it's time to go."

Geno Auriemma and UConn surpassed the UCLA Bruins men's program as the school with the most NCAA titles on Sunday. The coach also became the winningest coach in college basketball history earlier this season.