“He only coached Pippen and Jordan, Shaq and Kobe”: Geno Auriemma recalls bringing up Phil Jackson to silence UConn critics

The best coaches in sports history know how to get the best out of their players. Geno Auriemma has a strong understanding of that.

Auriemma did an interview that was uploaded to the "What Drives Winning" YouTube channel on Dec. 8, which features "real conversations with top minds in sport centering around character development, priority alignment, team dynamics, behavior management, and self-awareness."

One of the topics discussed was what separates good and bad coaches. Auriemma approached it by stating winning happens when coaches utilize players to the best of their abilities.

"You remember when Phil Jackson was coaching the Sacramento Kings and they had really bad players? No, because he never did. He only coached Pippen and Jordan, Shaq and Kobe. So yeah, you win when you have the best players, if you know what to do with those players, if you know what to do with players and they're not good enough, you ain't winning. So, yeah, I know what the hell to do with good players, but that's what ends up separating you from that coach," Auriemma said.

Geno Auriemma believes in UConn's title hopes with three players leading

With Auriemma leading the way, UConn's chances of competing for a national championship are always high.

This season has the potential to be one of those years, as Auriemma would explain after the No. 2 Huskies beat Louisville 85-52 on Dec. 7.

"The best teams we’ve ever had at Connecticut, there were three-pronged," Auriemma said before listing multiple UConn squads he coached that led by this example.

“And one of the best ever was Renee [Montgomery], Maya [Moore] and Tina [Charles]. And people would ask me, like, ‘what makes this team so special?’ I said, ‘well, we have the absolute best point guard, we have the absolute best center and then we have the best player in the country.’”

The three players he is mentioning are Paige Bueckers, Sarah Strong, and Azzi Fudd. Bueckers is averaging 18.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, Strong is putting up 16.3 ppg and 7.6 rpg, while Fudd is providing 10 ppg on 50% shooting from the field. Their production has propelled UConn to an 8-0 start.

No. 2 UConn prepare for a road matchup against No. 8 Notre Dame at the Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana, on Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. ET.