Elite coaching demands perfection, a lesson Napheesa Collier learned the hard way under Geno Auriemma. Now, she’s sharing that reality check with current UConn star Azzi Fudd. The 71-year-old veteran aims to lead the unbeaten UConn towards another NCAA Championship title. Collier got candid with Azzi Fudd on her podcast and revealed what it takes to go all the way under her head coach.

Speaking on her ‘Fudd Around and Find Out’ podcast, Napheesa Collier told Azzi Fudd about a time Coach Auriemma was furious with the team’s play, even after a blowout win.

“We got kicked out of the locker room. I think we were playing two-lane or something, and we won by 30. But we didn’t play well, and it had been a long stretch of bad games. And the coach came into the locker room after the game. He’s like, make sure all your stuff is out of the locker room by six am. You’re not working hard to take advantage of all the things that the people behind you have built.”

Geno Auriemma has been at the helm of the UConn Women’s Basketball team for over 40 years now. His desire and obsession with winning have forged UConn’s dominance in women’s college basketball, with the head coach leading the college program to 12 NCAA Tournament championships.

The UConn Huskies are on course to defend their NCAA Tournament title, with Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong leading the charge. Fudd is now projected to be a top-5 pick in the upcoming draft, and has cited Geno’s brutally honest remarks about her WNBA preparedness as motivation to return for the 2025-26 season.

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Geno Auriemma issues UConn caution ahead of March Madness

The UConn Huskies are the most dominant team in the NCAA this season, boasting the highest point differential in Women’s College Basketball this year. Except for the three-point scare against Michigan early in the season, they won games by a landslide.

Recently, Geno Auriemma led the Huskies to a 50-point win over the Creighton Bluejays. However, the Head Coach was quick to call for caution when asked about the shift in focus towards March Madness.

Geno highlighted how there were still areas of concern for the UConn Huskies that will need to be addressed before thinking about the NCAA. Against Creighton, they managed only 3 offensive rebounds and 4 second-chance points. As efficient as they have been this season, the coach noted that a more competitive side than Creighton could pose problems, especially with the roster already suffering from injury issues.

Foul trouble also looms as a potential weakness for the otherwise dominant Huskies. The recent win over Tennessee saw Serah Williams garner 3 personal fouls with half of the game still left. Similarly, their early-season game against Michigan featured Blanca Quinonez also picking up 3 personal fouls.

The UConn Huskies are currently 26-0 and could end the regular season without dropping a single game. But Geno’s focus, as ever, will be to prepare the team the best he can ahead of March Madness.