"It overwhelmed her": UConn's Geno Auriemma once addressed former Huskies star Diana Taurasi's shower incident

UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma once shared that Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi was overburdened with being the best player on the team in her senior year. After finding Taurasi crying in the shower, the coach asked the teammates to lighten the burden on her shoulders.

Taurasi is widely considered one of the greatest WNBA players of all time. She played for the UConn Huskies under Geno Auriemma from 2000 to 2004 and led the team to three consecutive national championships.

In an interview with the American journalist Graham Bensinger in 2011, Auriemma was asked about the incident.

"Right? You know, sitting there shaking, you know, like, I can't do this anymore," Auriemma said. "What was going on? She had spent the entire junior year carrying a bunch of guys that had no business winning a championship. And against all odds, we won a national championship. Now, senior year, she has to do it again."

"Well, the one thing I wanna get to across to the team is this is how personally she takes it," he added. "She feels responsible for everything that happens to every one of you guys.

"But I just want you to know she's having a breakdown carrying you guys. So either you can make her load a little bit lighter, or you say, I don't care. They we're gonna let you Kill yourself."

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Diana Taurasi averaged 15 points and 4.4 rebounds in 147 games for the Huskies. She is the first player in UConn history to score 2000 points, 600 assists and 600 rebounds.

Diana was awarded Naismith College Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004. She was also awarded the AP College Player of the Year award in 2003.

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Diana Taurasi said that Geno Auriemma meant the world to her

Diana has a special bond with Geno Auriemma, who has led the Huskies to 11 national title victories. After Phoenix Mercury's 89-70 loss to Seattle in the regular season finale, Taurasi told reporters how she evolved under the shade of Auriemma, (via Az Central):

“Coach means the world to me. I got to Connecticut as an 18-year-old that didn’t really know much but thought she knew a lot, and he quickly told me I didn’t. And he let me know that every day because he knew if I could just scratch the surface of where he thought I could go, something special could happen.”

Taurasi was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury and was named MVP in 2009. An 11-time WNBA All-time star, Taurasi was coached by Geno Auriemma again in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics for the Team USA.

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