UConn's Geno Auriemma Reveals Truth Bomb About College Basketball

UConn women's basketball coach Gene Auriemma has coached the Huskies since the 1985-86 season. In that span, Auriemma has won 12 national championships, including a title in 2025.

In an interview with Dan Patrick, Auriemma stated that coaching is "a little different" than it has been for the last 15 years.

"The players I'm coaching today are way more challenged," Auriemma said. "They're way more distracted. They got way more voices in their head. They've got way too much information coming at them ... It's hard to make your voice really be the voice."

The NIL and transfer portal have contributed to the change in college basketball. Every year, many players transfer to another school for a bigger opportunity or more NIL money.

"Those days of 'I'll wait my turn,' those are gone. So we know at the end of every year, some kid's already halfway out the door when they realize, 'I'm not getting the time I thought I was gonna get.' We understand we might lose a couple every year, but there's a couple kids that want to come every year."

Apr 6, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma holds up the WBCA Coaches’ trophy after the national championship of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Auriemma emphasized the weirdness of the transfer portal having an impact, even during the NCAA tournament.

"Our free agency is the whole year, and every kid's a free agent every day of the whole year. And then the portal's open during the NCAA tournament. Can you imagine the NBA playoffs, and free agency's going on during the playoffs? It's insanity."

Despite all the changes over the years, Auriemma has remained a very successful coach. In 2026, he will look to lead UCONN to a second-straight title.

Read More UConn News Here