Dawn Staley Calls Geno Auriemma Out for A'ja Wilson South Carolina Statue Comment

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley called UConn's Geno Auriemma out for a comment he made about A'ja Wilson having a Gamecocks statue.

Apr 6, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley reacts during the first half of the national championship of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament against the Connecticut Huskies at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

During the UConn Huskies women's basketball team's April 7 rally after winning the 2025 NCAA national title over the South Carolina Gamecocks, Geno Auriemma was telling a story when he said, "Most other places, if you win one national championship, they build a statue to you outside the building. Here, they won't even let you get to the front of the bus."

"Most other places, if you win one national championship, they build a statue to you outside the building. Here, they won't even let you get to the front of the bus."

Geno Auriemma tells a story about seeing some of his former players on the bus after yesterday's game 😂 pic.twitter.com/ZGu5jO3o2B

— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) April 7, 2025

This comment made South Carolina fans furious, as they took it as a clear reference to 2024 WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson — who won one NCAA championship with the Gamecocks in 2018 — having her own statue outside of South Carolina's basketball stadium.

It also clearly caught the attention of Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley, as she offered a clear response to Auriemma's comment when receiving her own South Carolina statue on April 30.

"I'll admit, I wanted [Wilson's] to be the only [South Carolina statue] ever. I really did," Staley said, per an X post from Jared Parker of WACH FOX. "Contrary to the belief of one of my coaching colleagues, her statue wasn't in response to winning a national championship. It was in response to being a winner at life."

She then added, "It's a tribute to a hometown hero, a symbol for what is possible for the youth of Columbia when passion meets preparedness."

Dawn Staley says she wanted A'ja Wilson's statue to be the only one around.

"Contrary to the belief of one of my coaching colleagues, her statue wasn't in response to winning a national championship. It was in response to being a winner at life."@GamecockWBB @wachfox pic.twitter.com/KD4mi6QZeQ

— Jared Parker (@jaredparkertv) April 30, 2025

While Staley didn't say Auriemma's name directly, there's no doubt that she's referring to his comments from earlier this month.

As if Gamecocks fans needed another excuse to love Staley more than they already do, she has just given them one more.