"You told me I was a complete donkey": Dan Hurley recalls hilarious incident with Geno Auriemma in Portland

UConn Huskies coaches Dan Hurley and Geno Auriemma have amassed legendary tenures with the program. Hurley and his men's basketball team are aiming for a historic national championship three-peat this season, while Auriemma and the women's team are undefeated in the conference, looking to reclaim the national title.

Auriemma has been the head of the women's basketball program since 1985, marking a long 40 years for the 70-year-old. Hurley took over the men's team in 2018 and has frequently sought advice from Auriemma. The two main tacticians have developed a mentor-student relationship with mutual respect.

During the first episode of "Legendary Basketball" on the UConn Huskies YouTube channel, which featured both coaches on Wednesday, Hurley shared a memorable moment when Auriemma hilariously called him out for his antics.

"It was a couple of Januaries ago, I called up your phone ... We had just lost in the first round of the tournament, back-to-back years. There were a lot of external noise about whether I was an elite coach or could deliver championship results," Hurley said. (6:24 mark)

"I just got a technical foul ... in a game. We're up 60, and I asked you what you thought, hoping you would confirm to me, it was the right thing that I did. You told me I was a complete donkey. You crossed me," Hurley laughingly shared.

The 11-time national champion coach then backed up Hurley's story, saying he remembered the conversation. If Hurley was talking about the 2023 run, that was the year Hurley won his first-ever national championship — and Hurley can cite moments like this one with Auriemma as fuel for such a memorable season.

Geno Auriemma on looking back at immature mistakes

Geno Auriemma in last year's loss in the NCAA Final Four. - Source: Kirby Lee, Imagn

Bouncing off Dan Hurley's story, Geno Auriemma shared that it's important to look back at those small mistakes, such as Hurley's nonsensical technical foul, because they can no longer be changed. For him, it's about moving past them and growing.

"I also did say that I remember those days, and you grow out of them, and sometimes, you grow out of them late in your career or sometimes early in your career," Auriemma said (7:11 mark). "But, you are who you are in the beginning. You can't change."

So far this season, Hurley's team boasts a 14-5 overall record, while Auriemma's women's team remains perfect in conference play with an 8-0 record.