"I feel like there's like so much that can be done": Geno Auriemma envisions new plans for Huskies after UConn legend gets his contract extended

UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma has inked a new five-year contract extension, as announced by the program's athletics director David Benedict on Tuesday. Auriemma, who has been at Connecticut since 1985, will be entering his 40th season as the head coach.

He signed a five-year deal lasting until April 2029, worth $18.7 million, surpassing LSU's Kim Mulkey as the highest-paid women's basketball head coach.

Auriemma led UConn to 11 NCAA Championships, instilling a culture of winning within the team and establishing the Huskies as the leading force in NCAA basketball. With a new contract extension that will keep him at the helm for another five years, Auriemma aims to add a few more national tiles.

"I still find it hard to believe that I've been at UConn for over half my life," Auriemma said. "I feel like there’s so much more that can be done, and will be done, and I’m excited to be the one to do it with my staff and my team. I’m probably as excited about these next few years as I’ve ever been over the last 40."

Auriemma, an eight-time Naismith Coach of the Year, has his sight set on a 12th title and the 2024-25 season might just be the time. They boast a lineup brimming with skilled players such as Paige Bueckers, Ashlynn Shade, Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd, and several other influential talents.

Geno Auriemma chasing coaching wins record

Geno Auriemma has achieved success at every level and set numerous records in college basketball. He is just a few victories shy of becoming the winningest coach in Division I college basketball history.

The 70-year-old has accumulated 1,213 career victories by the end of the 2023-24 season, which is only three less than Stanford's Tara VanDerveer. Now that VanDerveer announced her retirement in April 2024, the job has become even easier for him as he only needs four wins in the coming season to be crowned the winningest coach in college basketball history.

Geno Auriemma's most wins in a single season came in 2013-14 when the Huskies recorded 40 wins without a defeat to clinch the national championship.

Under his leadership, UConn has achieved 17 undefeated conferences and six perfect overall seasons. In 2006, Auriemma was honored with inductions into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.