South Carolina coach Dawn Staley seems ready to put the controversy surrounding her post-Final Four argument with UConn coach Geno Auriemma to bed.
On Tuesday, Staley released a final statement in which she said she spoke to Auriemma.
“With the college women’s basketball season behind us, it’s time to move forward and close the chapter on how our semifinal game with UConn ended,” Staley said. “I spoke with Geno, and I want to be clear—I have a great deal of respect for him and what he’s meant to this game. One moment doesn’t define a career, and it doesn’t change the impact he’s had on growing women’s basketball.”
Staley then requested that the college basketball world move on from the incident.
“I’m asking everyone to turn the page,” she said. “Let’s refocus on what matters most—continuing to elevate our game, creating opportunities and pushing it forward.”
Auriemma, in a statement released Tuesday evening, echoed Staley's message while sharing that he had apologized to the Gamecocks coach.
“This morning, Dawn Staley and I spoke about our interaction after the game last Friday,” Auriemma said. “I apologized to Dawn, her staff and her team. I've lost more games in the Final Four than any coach in history. But Friday I lost something more important. I lost myself. Those who know me know I have nothing but respect and admiration for the game and the coaches who coach it.
“Dawn and her team deserved to win, and they deserved better from me. Women's basketball deserved better. My university, my athletes, my former players and our fans deserved better. Dawn and I have agreed to move on, and we hope the focus will shift back to the growth in women's basketball. The game deserves it.”
What happened between Auriemma and Staley?
On Friday, the Gamecocks defeated the Huskies 62–48 in the Final Four. Before the game, Auriemma and Staley were scheduled to shake hands, and—per Auriemma—Staley left the UConn coach hanging. After the game, Auriemma confronted Staley about it in a response widely viewed as disproportionate.
The day after the Huskies lost, Auriemma apologized to South Carolina in a statement, though much was made of the fact that he didn’t mention Staley by name.
"There's no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina," he said. “I want to apologize to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for in how I reacted. The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don't want my actions to detract from that. I've had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them.”
UCLA crushed the Gamecocks 79–51 Sunday to win its first national championship, but Auriemma’s actions remained a prominent part of the tournament’s news cycle.
Though rivals, the two coaches have largely been cordial in the past
“He has had a legendary career. He has helped our game grow. Whether people believe that or not, he has helped our game grow tremendously,” Staley said of Auriemma in 2022 ahead of the Final Four.
“I think if you look at the last ten years, whatever, be pretty hard-pressed to find anyone that's come as far as they have since she took over at South Carolina,” Auriemma said of Staley in 2018. “She's done it the right way. She didn't fall into this. She's earned it.”
In 2025, the two shared an amusing hug before the national championship.
Additionally, Auriemma coached Staley—then a member of the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting—to a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Sydney. The two also have shared roots in Philadelphia (both grew up in the area) and at Virginia (Auriemma worked as a Cavaliers assistant while Staley played there).
They might not like each other all the time, but Auriemma and Staley are more interconnected than most high-achieving sports rivals in college or otherwise.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dawn Staley Shares Clear Message After Speaking With Geno Auriemma About Final Four Dustup.
