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Geno Auriemma-Dawn Staley confrontation: ESPN shows coaches shaking hands prior to Final Four matchup

DR Lewisby: Derek Lewis04/04/26

Following South Carolina‘s Final Four defeat of UConn on Friday, Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma engaged opposing head coach Dawn Staley in a heated confrontation in the postgame handshake line. Although neither disclosed what exactly Auriemma said to start the drama, it has some roots in pregame, where Auriemma claimed Staley stiffed him on a handshake. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

While recounting the postgame fireworks, ESPN showed that Staley not only shook Auriemma’s hand but also shook hands with the entire UConn staff. You can see Staley go down the line shaking hands in the footage.

It wasn’t Auriemma’s only point of contention, but it was a major one. He even pointed it out during his postgame press conference.

“The protocol is before the game, you meet at halfcourt,” he said. “Anybody see that before? Two coaches meet at halfcourt, and they shake hands, correct? Ever see it? They announce it on the loudspeaker. I waited there for like three minutes. So it is what it is.”

However, this wasn’t his only gripe with Staley. During a between-quarter interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, he also criticized the Gamecocks’ coach over how she speaks to officials.

“Their coach rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referees some names you don’t want to hear,” he told Rowe while also ripping the officials. “Now, we get 6-0 and I’ve got a kid with a ripped jersey and they go, ‘I didn’t see it.’ Come on, man. This is for a national championship.”

Geno Auriemma’s ripped jersey claim

Auriemma’s claim about a ripped jersey also didn’t hold up. He’s referring to star forward Sarah Strong’s jersey getting torn, which prompted her to have to switch jersey numbers in-game.

She later explained she ripped it out of frustration with a missed shot.

“It was an accident,” Strong said. “Missed my shot. Ripped it by accident.”

When asked about Strong’s comments, Auriemma said she didn’t say she ripped her own jersey, but also seemed to say he didn’t feel a South Carolina player ripped it; he was simply stating his star player was getting fouled.

The whole ordeal only gets more confusing the more Auriemma tries to explain it. But what is clear so far is that he isn’t remorseful about anything he said to Staley.

“Why would I say it?” Auriemma said about his words to Staley. “I said what I said. And obviously, she didn’t like it. I just told the truth.”