UConn coach Geno Auriemma has apologised for his actions during a heated exchange with South Carolina’s Dawn Staley at the end of the Huskies’ 62-48 loss in the women’s Final Four on Friday night. Auriemma approached Staley in the final seconds, appearing to chastise her, and coaches from both teams intervened. After the game, Auriemma walked off without shaking hands with anyone from South Carolina.
In a statement on Saturday, Auriemma said: “There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina. It’s unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut. I want to apologise to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for in how I reacted. The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don’t want my actions to detract from that. I’ve had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologise to them.”
Staley, who has led the Gamecocks to three national titles, said Saturday morning she was focused on the title game against UCLA and not the incident. “For me, no distractions at this time. I’m concentrating on winning a national championship, that’s it,” she said. “That’s a little disheartening. This is sports, sometimes things like this happen. Continue to focus on my team and ability to advance in this tournament and hopefully win another national championship.” She later said she would address it at a later point.
Auriemma told reporters after the game that he and Staley “don’t have a lot in common” and the exchange was about the lack of a traditional pregame handshake. Staley said she was confused, stating she had shaken hands with Auriemma’s staff before the game. “I don’t know what he came with after the game, but, hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on,” she said.
