In February 2025, Diana Taurasi, one of the greatest to ever lace them up, looked back on her UConn days and delivered the kind of praise that cuts through the noise. “We talk about leadership a lot in sports. I think we throw that term around pretty loosely. He’s an expert in leadership… No one could take a group of people and lead them like Coach can,” the WNBA icon said. That moment hit different.

It wasn’t just a former player paying respects—it was a reminder that Geno Auriemma isn’t just a coach. He is UConn women’s basketball. And after 40 years, 11 national titles, and a record-shattering 1,244 wins and counting, it’s hard not to wonder: Is this the final chapter? Is Geno Auriemma retiring after this season?

Geno Auriemma retirement: Addressing the rumors

Being 71 years of age, Geno Auriemma is not shaking off the retirement rumors anytime soon. Even the head coach himself admitted that time has taken its toll. Back on Saturday, April 5th, Auriemma revealed that “I’ve quit five times every year.” Why? Well, the coach added that “I’ll go to practice and on my way home, I go, that’s it. I’m not going to go to practice tomorrow. I’m calling in sick for life. I’m out”. The decision, however, hardly remains ever final. After all, as he revealed, the people around him refuse to cut him some ‘slack’.

“They go, you can’t do that,” he said. “You have to have a victory tour and go around and get rocking chairs from every team in the league. I say no, I’m out. And then come to practice the next day and things will get better. Then three weeks later I quit again.”

Auriemma is not oblivious to the fact that he is no longer a young man. Plus, all good things must come to an end, right? However, the coach still believes he wants to give more to the Huskies before finally discarding that clipboard.

“I’ve tried to look at all the reasons why people do step away. It’s certainly past my prime, to be honest with you,” said Auriemma in a USA TODAY interview back in February. “I never set out to be doing this, period, and certainly never set out to be here for 40 years. To answer that question: I don’t know. I don’t know. I enjoy what I’m doing, to a point. I enjoy the competition. I enjoy the preparation that goes into it. I don’t enjoy a lot of what’s going on right now, and I think a lot of my contemporaries have seen where it’s going and don’t want any part of it. I’m sure I’ll get there at some point – just not right now.”

Let’s unpack it. This season, Auriemma became the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history—men’s or women’s. But here’s the twist: even with all that, he’s still learning.

Yep, four decades in, and Geno hasn’t hit cruise control. He’s still at every practice, still adapting to a changing game, and still obsessed with doing it the right way. “It’s not like I need to do it or have to do it,” he told USA TODAY. “I just still find some satisfaction… It’s a challenge, though.” And that right there is the pulse of it all. Auriemma doesn’t coach for the accolades—he does it because the work still matters to him. The fire’s still lit.

There were certainly whispers heading into the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Many assumed the Final Four might be his swan song. Auriemma himself promoted the rumors unknowingly by bringing up his team’s current star player, Paige Bueckers. Back in March 2024, Auriemma spoke at a community breakfast event. As reported by CT Insider’s Maggie Vanoni, he revealed during the event, “One [WNBA eligible player] is coming back. I mean it’s gonna be my 40th year. It only would have been 39 if [Bueckers] wasn’t coming back.”

The Huskies head coach reportedly had Paige Bueckers enter her name in the 2024 WNBA Draft. However, she ultimately chose to return to UConn for her senior year. Now, Paige Bueckers is once again expected to declare for the draft, and even come out as either the 1st or 2nd overall pick. All this led to believe that with Bueckers’ exit would come an Auriemma farewell.

Unfortunately, the rumors ignore one thing: Auriemma is under contract through the 2028–29 season. And more importantly, he’s not ready to hang it up.

“They keep offering me a new contract,” Auriemma said earlier this season. “And at some point, you’re gonna say, ‘No, I can’t do this anymore.’ You know when that day will be? When we can’t get players or what you have to go through to get good players becomes like, ‘Do I really want to do that?’”

That day isn’t today. Because recruiting? Still rolling. Even with all the new twists in college hoops—NIL deals, transfer portal madness—Geno’s still pulling elite talent to Storrs. Next season, Kelis Fisher, Gandy Malou-Mamel, and W Blanca Quinonez (Ecuador) are on their way, making it the 6th top-ranked class this year.

“Our recruiting hasn’t fallen off,” Auriemma said last year. “We’re still getting the kind of players that I like to coach and I enjoy being around.” Let’s be honest—there’s not a single box left for Auriemma to check. He’s won everything there is to win. UConn has posted an eye-popping 141-24 record in NCAA tournament games under his leadership. But Geno isn’t chasing numbers.

For now, Geno Auriemma is exactly where he wants to be—on the sideline, chasing greatness one more time. And even if his time there were to come to a close, he is ensuring he doesn’t exit without sharing lessons of decades. 

How many years has Geno Auriemma coached at UConn?

Get ready to gasp out loud, because Geno Auriemma has been coaching the UConn Huskies’ women’s division for the last 40 years!

Auriemma joined the Huskies when the team was quite far from its glory days. Kind of like the Chicago Bulls squad before Michael Jordan’s arrival (which ironically was only 1 year before Auriemma joining UConn). After all, by 1985, the Huskies women’s basketball team had posted only one winning season in its history. According to reports, his hiring decision was part of the university’s commitment to better fund women’s sports. He faced competition for the job from several qualified candidates, including Chris Dailey, who only recently concluded her 27-year run as the team’s associate head coach. In fact, Dailey was speculated to be the next head coach if Auriemma turned down the position. Auriemma got the edge during the interview, as he later revealed in 2019, by making some bold promises

“When I first got a job, it was my first head coaching job, you look around and you say, ‘Well, I want to prove that I can win games, that I can actually do the job that they hired me for.'” Auriemma revealed. “Especially when you lie during the interview process, that’s how you get jobs, you’ve got to make stuff up. You’re going in the interview and they say so – blah blah blah and you go, ‘We’re going to be in the top 20 in a couple years, don’t worry.'”

Well, the coach lived up to that promise, and more. As of today, Geno Auriemma has led the Huskies to a record 11 NCAA Division I Tournament national championships! With a 1,248–165 (.883) win record, he currently holds the most wins and highest winning percentage among college coaches with a minimum of 10 seasons. This is at any level, men’s or women’s. According to UConn’s media guide, Auriemma became the first coach in women’s basketball history to lead a program to five consecutive Final Four appearances on two different occasions. Between 2008 to 2022, he led the Huskies to 14 consecutive Final Four appearances, which was a new record.

It’s been since 2016 that UConn last stood alone atop women’s college basketball. But here’s the thing: that drought doesn’t seem to weigh Geno down. Not like you might expect.

He’s 71 now. But he remembers being that young coach once. Watching from the sidelines. Hoping someone would share. So now? He shares. He’s never been one to guard secrets for the sake of a competitive edge. He once let three Tennessee players—yes, Tennessee—come sit in on a UConn practice. Because as far as Geno’s concerned, basketball is basketball. And if he’s got something worth knowing? He’s giving it.

“You can’t worry about anything else,” Auriemma said. “I’m glad when coaches have success. That’s what we’re here for.”

UConn is making its record 24th Final Four trip. The Huskies are 12-11 all-time in these games, but on paper, they’re the underdog. But don’t count Geno out. Not now. Not when he still sees the game like few ever have. This might not be the last dance. In fact, it doesn’t feel like it at all. Because for Geno Auriemma, there’s still business to finish.