On Wednesday night, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma became the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history.
The No. 2-ranked Huskies rolled over Fairleigh Dickinson 85-41 to give Auriemma sole ownership of the all-time wins record, breaking the tie with former Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer. More than 60 former players were in attendance to celebrate Auriemma’s achievement, as well as live goat.
The postgame festivities served not only as an opportunity to commemorate Auriemma’s milestone, but also to honor the head coach and assistant coach Chris Dailey for their 40 seasons on the sidelines in Storrs. As Sue Bird, who was among the Husky luminaries to speak during the ceremony, quipped, “Who knew that playing hard, playing smart and having fun would get you here? I guess you two knew, and that’s all that matters.”
During the postgame press conference, redshirt senior Paige Bueckers, who posted 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the win, emphasized of Auriemma:
He gives credit to everybody around him, and he doesn’t really take it for himself. But what he’s built here, it’s here because of him, so he definitely downplays it. He doesn’t want to do the whole thing: the celebration, the goats, the ice cream, it’s all extra to…
