Phoenix–after a weekend deal after From dispute on court with Yukon Coach Geno Auriemma, South Carolina Coach Don Staley spent most of his time after the game on Sunday praising UCLA Coach Corey Close.
Bruins earn their first NCAA women’s basketball championship in wire-to-wire win 79-51 Over the Gamecocks.
Staley spoke glowingly of Close, and it was a far cry from the way he addressed Auriemma.
“I’m always happy for the guys who have worked hard in this game, who are really quality guys,” Staley said. “I want good things to happen for him. Corey is one of those guys who really works to make our game better. Not just UCLA, but our whole game.”
Close will bring the championship trophy back to Los Angeles in her 15th season. Staley understood that struggle and journey because she didn’t win everything until her 17th year as a head coach, including her first eight. Temple.
Staley, a two-time AP Coach of the Year, addressed a report by Rebecca Lobo on the ABC and ESPN broadcasts that Auriemma contacted Staley after he issued a statement Saturday apologizing for his actions.
In the final seconds of UConn’s 62-48 loss to South Carolina on Friday in the national semifinals, Auriemma approached Staley after the game to shake his hand, then got in her face angrily before Staley could respond. The two separated and Auriemma walked alone towards the tunnel.
“There is no excuse for how I handled the end of the game versus South Carolina,” Auriemma said in a statement released through the school.
He mentioned “employees” and “team” in the statement, but did not mention Staley by name.
Staley said that despite the report, he has not heard from Auriemma. She said she has hundreds of unread text messages, so unless this was one of them, she hasn’t heard from him.
Staley emphasized that she wanted the day to be a celebration of basketball and what UCLA accomplished, but she also acknowledged that she planned to address the situation with Auriemma later.
“It’s a Geno question, isn’t it?” Staley said. “This is actually a Geno question. I haven’t heard from Geno, so… I haven’t heard. I got 800 text messages. I don’t know if he texted or not.
“I’ll talk about all that some other time, not this weekend. We won’t spoil UCLA’s day with this.”
stale and closed shared a long embrace On the sidelines before the game. The two chatted for a few moments, smiling and laughing, before Close headed to his bench. Staley then immediately turned and spread her arms with a smile, as if highlighting the cordial conversation.
Auriemma on Friday complained about Staley waiting three minutes for the traditional pregame handshake.
“Even though we didn’t win, I can accept it because we lost to a very good person,” Staley said, “and a good team that represents women’s basketball well.”
