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Kevin Stefanski And This Legendary College Basketball Coach Go Way Back
Kevin Stefanski and Geno Auriemma go way back after a lifetime of the families being linked to each other.
In early April, Cleveland played host to the Women's Final Four at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Photos of Kevin Stefanski with his daughter attending the games have since circulated. While Stefanski's daughter had the number 22 painted on her cheek and was pulling for Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes, her dad was actually cheering for the UConn Huskies instead.
"So Geno and my dad were born on the same day, the same year, in the same city," said Stefanski on 92.3 The Fan Friday morning. "They played against each other growing up and so my dad has known Geno forever... and then my parents had a house in Avalon, New Jersey, and all of a sudden, Geno and his family bought the house next door."
Mar 11, 2024; Uncasville, CT, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma is handed the Big East
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Stefanski would go on to further praise the 11-time women's basketball national champion calling him a legend for what he has done. He told tales of the many times he has interacted with Geno and that he had just packed up a box of Browns swag addressed to Storrs, Connecticut for the historic head coach.
Stefanski, in year five, is hoping to be able to channel some of that success from his family friend. While he hasn't reached the mountain top quite yet, he has taken home two NFL Coach of the Year awards in his first four seasons.
Stefanski and his Browns enter 2024 with a ton of pressure to succeed. They have a roster that is ready-made for a playoff run, but one that is starting to age. Denzel Ward is entering year seven, Nick Chubb is coming off of a career-altering injury in year seven and Myles Garrett is going on year eight along with many others in the Browns' core.
2024 is now or never in Cleveland and to keep this franchise moving in a positive direction, Stefanski may need to channel his inner Auriemma to get where this team wants to go.
