The Connecticut Huskies are back in the winner’s circle after a convincing 82-59 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks during Sunday’s national championship game.
It was the 12th title of UConn coach Geno Auriemma’s career, but the first in almost a decade. As one could imagine, the long journey to complete the dozen had Auriemma pretty emotional as he answered questions from ESPN’s Holly Rowe immediately after the game.
Holly Rowe interviews an emotional Geno Auriemma after UConn wins the National Championship (his 12th title as head coach).
“If people only knew… We had a preseason scrimmage; we lost the scrimmage. I thought we wouldn’t make the NCAA Tournament.” 🏀🎙️🏆 https://t.co/OVAIigLAMQ pic.twitter.com/yt0w2neA9m
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 6, 2025
“Geno Auriemma, it’s been awhile,” Rowe began the interview. “2016 the last time you and your team felt this way…what does it mean to you?”
“You just never know if you’ll ever be back in this situation again,” Auriemma answered. “There were so many times when I think we all questioned, like, ‘Have we been here too long? Has it been time?’ Yet we kept hanging in there and hanging in there, and it’s because these players make me want to hang in there everyday,” the Huskies coach said, fighting back tears.
“And this team has changed so much from the beginning of the season. If people only knew. We had a preseason scrimmage; we lost the scrimmage. I thought we wouldn’t make the NCAA Tournament. But this is — I mean they’ve all been gratifying, don’t get me wrong — but this one here, because of the way it came about and what’s been involved, it’s been a long time since I’ve been that emotional when the players walked off the court.”
Rowe then asked about Auriemma’s postgame embrace with star player Paige Bueckers.
“We saw that hug with Paige. All that she’s been through, all that she’s fought through. When you’re in that hug coach, what are you saying to her?” Rowe asked.
“I love you. That’s all I could say. I love you,” Auriemma said, emotion in his voice.
This was a textbook postgame interview from Rowe. The veteran ESPN reporter first gave Auriemma an open-ended question that he was able to take and give a thoughtful and lengthy answer to. Then, Rowe asked a more direct question that viewers likely had in their head while watching the broadcast. What did the Huskies coach say to his star player after the game?
That question produced another great answer from Auriemma that told the viewer everything they needed to know about the coach’s relationship with Bueckers.
Often, these postgame interviews can be rather mundane and predictable, but Rowe was able to hit on the two main storylines of the game — UConn’s return to winning a national championship, and the final game of superstar Paige Bueckers’ career — within the first two questions.
Holly Rowe showed, once again, why she’s one of the best in the business on Sunday.
