Auriemma, in his 39th season at UConn, nears 1,200 wins
VILLANOVA, Pa. — The frame reserved for Geno Auriemma’s photo is empty — it rests atop two display cases of autographed UConn basketballs to the right of a collection of Joel Embiid memorabilia — inside a suburban Philadelphia sandwich shop.
Auriemma’s late mother, Marsiella — an Italian immigrant once praised by President Barack Obama at a White House visit — had lobbied the store owner to stick her son’s picture on the Bar of Fame.
And why not? Auriemma was raised in Norristown, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles from the Collegeville Italian Bakery that was the family’s cheesesteak stop of choice. Auriemma places an order for his team so substantive when UConn plays each season at Villanova that owner Steve Carcarey is forced to decline the offer of free tickets to the game so he can assist his staff with the time-consuming task of prepping the cheesesteaks, pastas, breads and the rest of the takeout order headed for the Huskies.
Auriemma likes his cheesesteak with fried onions. Former AP Player of the Year Paige Bueckers cradled a loaf of crusty Italian bread like a football before she boarded the team bus back to Connecticut.
Thanks for the business, Geno.
But as for that photo, no dice.
“We have a spot for him,” Carcarey said, laughing. “It says, ‘Coming soon, Geno Auriemma.’”
The reason for the blank space: Auriemma has yet to visit the store — the No. 1 rule to earn a spot on the Bar of Fame, a seemingly tougher requirement than any stipulation the Huskies coach faced for his spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Maybe in retirement Auriemma can pop in for a leisurely lunch.
“You think it’s going to be his last time” coaching UConn at Villanova? Carcarey asked.
It’s the question of the day back in the quiet college town in Connecticut. If Auriemma, who turns 70 next month, knows the answer, he has kept his decision quiet. But until that moment, Auriemma’s basketball odometer keeps ticking, headed toward the top spot as the winningest coach of all time. Should No. 11 UConn beat Seton Hall on Wednesday, Auriemma will earn his 1,200th career victory — to go along with 11 national championships — all at the school that hired him in 1985.
Former Duke and Army coach Mike Krzyzewski is next with 1,203 wins. Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer set the mark last month when she passed Krzyzewski and currently has 1,207 wins.
Krzyzewski and VanDerveer combined for eight national titles. Impressive, sure. Consider, though, Auriemma won his eighth in 2013 and then churned out three more.
“It’s like LeBron,” Bueckers said. “It’s so hard to stay that great for that long.”
Auriemma is among the last of his breed of valued, empowered championship coaches still recruiting, still grinding out the work in hope of that next championship run. Krzyzewski retired in 2022. Former North Carolina coach Roy Williams retired in 2021.
His retirement will make global headlines.
Auriemma envisions coaching a final season without the pomp of a farewell tour. All he needed to do last week to reinforce that idea was the right one was peek to his right at the retired coach watching the Big East matchup from his baseline seat.
Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright floored Villanova when he retired weeks after leading the Wildcats to a Final Four in 2022. Maybe that’s how Auriemma will call it quits.
“To be honest with you,” Auriemma said, “I like Jay’s way.”
UConn is in no rush for Auriemma to decide, and with a $15 million extension set to end after next season, he doesn’t have to make the call this summer. Auriemma, though, perhaps foreshadowed his future when he noted UConn likely would offer him another contract, but “at some point, you’re going to say no.”
He has grandchildren he’d like to spend more time with — including a 10-year-old grandson who cries when the Philadelphia Eagles lose — and enjoy the spoils of retirement. Let his successor worry about keeping the Huskies contenders among the massive demands of recruiting and NIL and the portal.
Auriemma has a visit due at a neighborhood cheesesteak joint.