When $18 million worth Geno Auriemma got candid about his image among other coaches while explaining his broadway analogy

Geno Auriemma detailed his approach toward the UConn roster in the episode of "Geno's Game" released in 2004. In his 19th year as the team's head coach at the time, he said that he tried bringing new players into the program with his "Broadway analogy."

Auriemma told the recruits that the University of Connecticut is nothing short of women's basketball's Broadway, providing the biggest stage and most attention to the sport in the Division I landscape.

"I've tried to use the broadway analogy with a lot of kids," he said (at 3:38). "You're a performer and in women's basketball this has become broadway. It's where most fans are, the most attention - so why would you want to apply your trade anywhere else other than broadway?"

As the interviewer enquired about other coaches' opinions on Geno Auriemma's script, he hilariously described their dislike with one sentence.

"And what do other coaches tell them bout why they shouldn't come to Connecticut?"

"You're not gonna like that guy, he's a jerk," Auriemma said.

Auriemma definitely reaped the rewards of his bold and tactful player recruitment efforts. In the year of filming the interview, he landed Charde Houston, Mel Thomas and Ketia Swanier from the high school level. Two of these players played in the WNBA.

The Huskies women's basketball program was considered the gold standard of college ball at the time. They had won three consecutive NCAA titles and showcased future WNBA superstars like Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Swin Cash. Its 2002 roster is still considered one of the best starting lineups to ever play at the D1 level.

Parallelly, UConn's constant domination was equally polarizing, often being perceived in bad light. Additionally, Auriemma's outspoken nature and brash confidence used to rub fans and other coaches in the wrong way.

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Geno Auriemma's recruiting style led to an investigation in 2007

After Geno Auriemma bought the No. 1 high school player Maya Moore to the Huskies, it forced Tennessee's Pat Summitt to question the program's recruitment efforts. The Lady Vols filed an official complaint to the NCAA, expressing that UConn broke D1 rules by arranging an unofficial visit with Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird during her travel to the Naismith Awards in Atlanta in 2006.

Had Taurasi and Bird acted as the representatives of the school, the Huskies would have been in the wrong. However, they were not found guilty of these accusations. Instead, UConn was reported to have committed a secondary violation - a tour of the ESPN campus for Moore - but no punishment was issued.

In the heat of these events, Pat Summitt put a pause on Tennessee's games with Geno Auriemma's program. Her decision shocked the entire D1 basketball landscape since these games acted as the defining events of women's college ball. The series was renewed in 2020.