“Mental toughness part can be difficult, they can fool you”: UConn HC Geno Auriemma details his scouting and recruitment process

Geno Auriemma is in his 40th year with the UConn Huskies and in his time with the program, he has hand-picked some of the best players women's basketball has seen. In an interview for "Got Next with Meghan and Zora," the coach offered some insights into his recruitment methods.

Answering a question about the intangibles that he looks for in a recruit, Geno Auriemma said:

"The mental toughness part can be difficult at times because they can fool you. 'Cause you're not quite sure if they've ever been in that situation. If you don't ever see them in that situation, you don't know you're taking a chance."

Auriemma added that a coach's presence in seeing a player indicates that they are talented. However, how a player acts on the court when things don't go their way plays a huge role in their chances of getting recruited.

Some of the instances included players' reactions to getting benched, receiving unfair calls from referees, behaviors on the sidelines and more. Geno Auriemma also added that he is focused on bringing players who do not just shoot well but are willing playmakers on the floor.

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Geno Auriemma names some of the toughest players he has coach

No two players that walk into the Gampel Pavilion are the same and Geno Auriemma has met his fair share of players from different backgrounds and mindsets. He named the ones that were the toughest to coach and it included Jennifer Rizzotti, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Jamelle Elliott and Kelly Farris.

"The kids who have been the toughest mentally, toughest physically, hard-nosed, a lot of them that I've had are also hard to coach because they're stubborn," coach Auriemma explained. "They're hard-headed, they're competitive, they're tough and they think that they're right all the time."

While they may have been tough to coach, Geno Auriemma won the 11 NCAA championships with these players. This year could be the one where it all changes as the Huskies are the current favorites to win a title.

Geno Auriemma made history last week as the winningest coach in the NCAA with 1217 wins. His current roster has some of the best players, including Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Sarah Strong and more. A national championship would be the perfect end to this historic run.