It says everything about UConn‘s Geno Auriemma that a list of his greatest victories could include only national championship games. He has won 11 NCAA titles, more than any other Division I women’s or men’s basketball coach.
On Wednesday, Auriemma could move atop the list of most victories, period. With a win over Fairleigh Dickinson at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut, Auriemma will pass retired Stanford women’s coach Tara VanDerveer with his 1,217th victory. VanDerveer passed Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski (1,202 wins) in January.
When Auriemma took over the Huskies in 1985, the program had only one winning season — at 16-14 — in its 11-year history. The NCAA tournament had been around for only four years for the women. The sport had very little visibility.
It took Auriemma six years to reach his first Final Four, in 1991, and 10 years to win his first championship, in 1995. Now in his 40th season in Storrs, Auriemma’s career mark is 1,216-162. His Huskies have made the Final Four 23 times…
