“Who gave you those stupid names?”: When Geno Auriemma denied giving nicknames to Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and rest of 2002 UConn team

In an episode of SNY's "UConn Undefeated" released in 2020, Geno Auriemma recounted the early days of his 1998 recruiting class. Talking to Sue Bird, Asjha Jones, Swin Cash, Tamika Williams and Diana Taurasi, the coach asked whether the players remembered the media hype about their recruitment to the Huskies.

As the players acknowledged, the coach hilariously questioned the significance of their nickname, the "TASSK Force."

"Who gave you guys those stupid names," Auriemma asked (2:44).

"You know who it was," Jones said.

"It wasn't me," Auriemma added.

"It was Swin," Jones and Bird revealed.

Swin Cash coined the term to highlight the talent and potential on the Huskies roster. She explained that the "TASSK Force" is an acronym for her name, Tamika Williams, Asjha Jones, Sue Bird, and Keirsten Walters. Cash also shared her brainstorming process for creating the name.

"The TASSK force, I thought was a good name," Cash said. "I had to figure out something besides the 'Fab Five' that was at Michigan.

"So, I was like, all right I gotta keep thinking and keep thinking and then I was like, all right we'll go for the TASSK force. It didn't stick though but the freshman year sounded hot to me."

The TASSK Force, Geno Auriemma's 1998 recruiting class, was one of the best talent pools in the nation as he had landed five of the top 15 players in the nation.

However, the team struggled when Sue Bird injured her knee in December. The Huskies ended the season with a 64-58 Sweet Sixteen loss to Iowa State.

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Tennessee was the biggest challenge for Geno Auriemma's TASSK Force

After coming three games short of lifting the NCAA title in their freshman season, Geno Auriemma's TASSK Force lost Keirsten Walters. The guard gave up basketball due to her knee concerns.

The crew cruised past their opponents throughout the 1999-00 season for a 27-1 record. Their only recurring setback was consistent losses to Tennessee. Patt Summitt's team had won all of its latest games against UConn and was a year separated from a three-peat.

Nevertheless, the roster overcame the challenge in the 2000 NCAA championship game, defeating the Lady Vols 71-52 in Geno Auriemma's hometown.