If there’s one thing UConn’s Geno Auriemma knows, it’s great coaching. Ever since he took over as the Huskies’ head coach in 1985, he has cultivated an environment that has spawned generations of athletes who all look back on their time at the school with happiness and pride.
Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight were packed with a lot of incredible basketball, but in between games, a theme emerged: Players like Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince opened up about the mistreatment they suffered at different programs, apparently at the hands of coaches and cultures that harmed them.
In response to a question asked by Swish Appeal during a Thursday’s press conference ahead of UConn’s Final Four game against UCLA, Auriemma said there are a lot of things that can contribute to a toxic program, but there are two factors that contribute to toxicity in 2025: revenue sharing and NIL.
There’s an “incredible” pressure to win—a pressure on coaches, teams and schools—that is born of a still-new dynamic that sees players being treated as employees rather than student-athletes. And though that shouldn’t mean those “employees” are treated badly, it’s well known that not all “work” environments are created equal. “The…
