Geno Auriemma apologizes to Dawn Staley after Final Four clash
The UConn head coach gave Dawn Staley a call to apologize, he said.
University of Connecticut Women's Basketball Coach Geno Auriemma has issued another statement regarding a viral courtside clash with South Carolina's Dawn Staley, this time, saying he had apologized to Staley directly. During a Final Four matchup on Friday, April 3, the focus on the game shifted to its coaches, thanks to a verbal altercation between UConn head coach Auriemma and Staley. While the UConn head coach originally released a statement following the incident, Staley was not mentioned by name in the apology.
"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," Auriemma said in a message posted by UConn Women's Basketball on April 4.
Statement from Head Coach Geno Auriemma pic. twitter. com/q8La6lMqN6 — UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) April 4, 2026