Spring Break
GENO GOES GLOBAL
Auriemma chosen to lead Team USA in 2012 Summer Olympics
Brittany Perotti
Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: Sports
Six national championships and three perfect seasons.
Naismith and AP Coach of the Year awards.
Now, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma can add the head coaching position for USA Basketball women's national team to his growing list of accolades.
"…I also believe that we have selected a coach that's going to add to the legacy of the USA Basketball Women's National Team program," said Jim Tooley, executive director of USA Basketball. "So it is my pleasure to announce Geno Auriemma as the next head coach of USA Basketball Women's National Team."
With those words, Auriemma cracked a smile, unable to contain his excitement any longer: He just officially inherited the world's best women's basketball program.
He hoped for the chance. After all, he served as assistant coach to the women's Olympic team that captured gold in 2000.
"By the time we got there [to the opening ceremony], I've never seen so many flashbulbs going off," he said. "I remember calling my house, standing there in front of 110,000 people talking to my son. He was watching it on TV. I said 'Can you see me?' I think the answer was no. But that moment stayed with me all this time."
Once the rules changed and WNBA coaches and players completed the roster, though, he gave up.
At least until Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski got head coaching position for the Olympic men's basketball team that won gold in Beijing.
Four years later, Auriemma's chance came, as he received the call prior to this year's Final Four.
During that time, publicly Auriemma displayed confidence. Behind the scenes, though, he said he grew paranoid about how a loss for UConn would reflect on the committee's decision.
"And then, for me, it was like man, you know, I hope we win this damn thing, not just so that we win a national championship for UConn, but it would really be important to USA Basketball people on top of that to be able to then make this announcement as opposed to we lose," he said. "My biggest fear after you lose is 'Yeah, well I hope he doesn't screw up the U.S. team like he did UConn.'"
Naismith and AP Coach of the Year awards.
Now, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma can add the head coaching position for USA Basketball women's national team to his growing list of accolades.
"…I also believe that we have selected a coach that's going to add to the legacy of the USA Basketball Women's National Team program," said Jim Tooley, executive director of USA Basketball. "So it is my pleasure to announce Geno Auriemma as the next head coach of USA Basketball Women's National Team."
With those words, Auriemma cracked a smile, unable to contain his excitement any longer: He just officially inherited the world's best women's basketball program.
He hoped for the chance. After all, he served as assistant coach to the women's Olympic team that captured gold in 2000.
"By the time we got there [to the opening ceremony], I've never seen so many flashbulbs going off," he said. "I remember calling my house, standing there in front of 110,000 people talking to my son. He was watching it on TV. I said 'Can you see me?' I think the answer was no. But that moment stayed with me all this time."
Once the rules changed and WNBA coaches and players completed the roster, though, he gave up.
At least until Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski got head coaching position for the Olympic men's basketball team that won gold in Beijing.
Four years later, Auriemma's chance came, as he received the call prior to this year's Final Four.
During that time, publicly Auriemma displayed confidence. Behind the scenes, though, he said he grew paranoid about how a loss for UConn would reflect on the committee's decision.
"And then, for me, it was like man, you know, I hope we win this damn thing, not just so that we win a national championship for UConn, but it would really be important to USA Basketball people on top of that to be able to then make this announcement as opposed to we lose," he said. "My biggest fear after you lose is 'Yeah, well I hope he doesn't screw up the U.S. team like he did UConn.'"
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