Geno Auriemma Opens Up About 'Worry' Amid UConn Retirement Question

UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma got honest when asked why he's still coaching after 41 years.

Apr 3, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma during practice at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

During an April 10 interview on SportsCenter, legendary UConn Huskies women's basketball head coach was asked what will determine how much longer he'll coach before deciding to retire.

"How I feel when I wake up in the morning," Auriemma replied, per an X post from ESPN. "I think every day is a new day... and you hear people talk about, 'Oh, he's not leaving until Paige leaves, Oh, he's not leaving until Azzi leaves, Oh, he's not leaving until Sarah leaves.' But if we're doing our job right, there's always one of those [players], or two of those, or however many that are there that you go, 'Well, how can you leave them?'

"And at some point, it's going to be 'I wish I could stay longer, but I'm just not good enough to coach this team anymore and they deserve better.' And when that time comes, I hope I have the sense to step away and leave it in the hands of someone who's better equipped at that time to do it," he continued.

Nov 4, 2025; Annapolis, Maryland, USA UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma looks onto the court during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at Alumni Hall on United States Naval Academy. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Auriemma is now in his 41st season as UConn's head coach and will turn 72 years old in March. Therefore, it's reasonable to wonder when he might call it quits.

Geno Auriemma Explains "Worry" About Continuing to Coach at UConn

Auriemma was asked why he continues to coach during his November 4 appearance on the Welcome to the Party podcast and offered an interesting response.

"You know, when you hear about old stories from back in the day. 'Oh, when Bear Bryant retired, he died soon after that. When Joe Paterno, when he retired, he died soon after that.' And you're like, 'Oh, what? So if you're a coach for a certain amount of time, and you retire, you die?' I don't think that's what's keeping me coaching. I would have a lot of things that I know I would love to do if I wasn't coaching." Auriemma said.

"And I do worry sometimes, when I go to work. Like, 'Man, do I still really, really, really have the same juice, and the same impact, and the same ability to fight these guys? Because it is a fight every day," he continued. "They have their own way of doing things, because they're kids. They've got habits. And I certainly have my way of wanting to do things. And every day, you're trying to squeeze a little more out of them. And it takes a lot of energy. It takes a lot out of you."

It seems that the mental toll it takes on Auriemma to remain at the top of his game might be what eventually gets him out of the game.