"You just make them feel guilty": When $18 million worth Geno Auriemma explained his "old fashioned catholic Italian way" of coaching

UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma launched his MasterClass in 2021 where he teaches how to build and lead teams. In a promotional trailer for the course, released in September of that year, he provided valuable insights into his coaching philosophy, which has led to remarkable success in women's basketball.

Auriemma, who has an estimated net worth of around $18 million per Celebrity Net Worth, has led Connecticut to 11 national championships and coached the US women's national team to two Olympic gold medals.

The Hall of Fame coach also shared in the trailer some of the things that students are going to learn in the MasterClass.

"How to get the best people on your team — that's number one, that's key," Auriemmma said. "How to work with them so that you can raise their level from where they are, to where they hope to be, to where you need them to be."

"How do we build those championship teams? How do we train those incredible players? I go by the old-fashioned Catholic Italian way. You just make them feel guilty. So you ask them, flat-out, 'Is this the best you got?' and invariably, they'll say, 'No, I got more.' All right. Let's go. Let's see it."

Geno Auriemma also mentioned that resilient leaders should listen more than they talk because they can learn by watching and listening.

The MasterClass is available through a subscription that starts at $10 per month paid annually. It includes more than two hours of video lessons compiled into 15 video sections.

Geno Auriemma once revealed how coaching decisions change with each practice

Ahead of their March Madness run in 2004, Geno Auriemma sat down with Morley Safer of 60 Minutes to discuss his coaching style and success with the UConn Huskies.

On Thursday, before UConn began its 2025 NCAA Tournament journey, CBS re-released the segment on YouTube. During his interview with Safer, Auriemma explained that it is up to the coach to determine what the current team needs most to succeed.

"The line that a coach has to walk is 'Does your team right now need to be inflated individually and collectively even if it's artificially, or does your team need to be told the truth and knocked down?'" Geno Auriemma said (7:58). "And sometimes you say something to a player and today you're right, and you say the same thing tomorrow and tomorrow you're wrong."

The Huskies entered the 2004 NCAA Tournament as the defending champions, having won the title in 2002 and 2003. UConn made it to the championship game once again and defeated Tennessee to complete a three-peat.