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Who is Geno Auriemma?
Geno Auriemma is an Italian-born collegiate basketball coach. Geno Auriemma is the head coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of Connecticut (Uconn). UConn has won eleven NCAA Division I national championships under Auriemma’s leadership.
Auriemma, meantime, has won the Naismith College Coach of the Year award eight times and coached the US women’s national basketball team from 2009 to 2016.
Early Life, Family, and Education
Geno Auriemma was born in the southern Italian town of Montella on March 23, 1954.
Donato Auriemma is his father’s name, and Marsiella Auriemma is his mother’s name.
Similarly, he has two siblings: a brother named Ferruccio and a sister named Anna Auriemma.
Anna Auriemma grew up in a harsh environment where things like electricity, running water, and heat were considered luxuries.
Geno has been assisting his parents with mortgage payments and dealings with lawyers since he was a child.
When Auriemma was seven years old, his family relocated to Norristown, Pennsylvania, where he spent the rest of his youth.
In terms of his schooling, he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1977 from West Chester University in Pennsylvania and went on to work as an assistant coach at Saint Joseph’s University.
He formerly worked as a coach at Bishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote, Pennsylvania.
The late Red Holzman’s New York Knicks were Auriemma’s favorite team in the 1970s.
Luigi, likewise, worked at Saint Joseph’s in 1978 and 1979 before coaching at Bishop Kendrick, his former high school.
Later, as an assistant coach for the University of Virginia Cavaliers women’s team, he returned to college basketball.
In 1994, he became a naturalized American citizen at the age of 40.
Body Measurements
Geno Auriemma, the coach at UConn, is 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm) tall.
No reliable sources have yet reported on his weight.
In addition, the coach’s hair is light brown, and his eyes are grey.
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Facts of Geno Auriemma
| Full Name | Luigi “Geno” Auriemma |
| Birth Date | March 23, 1954 |
| Birth Place | Montella, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian-American |
| Education | West Chester University, Pennsylvania |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Father’s Name | Donato Auriemma |
| Mother’s Name | Marseille Auriemma |
| Siblings | Ferruccio Auriemma (brother), and Anna Auriemma (sister) |
| Age | 68 years old (as of July 2021) |
| Height | 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm) |
| Weight | N/A |
| Shoe Size | N/A |
| Profession | College basketball coach |
| Debut | 1978 as an assistant coach for Saint Joseph’s Hawks women’s basketball team |
| Net Worth | $10 million |
| Married | Yes |
| Spouse | Kathy Auriemma (married in 1978) |
| Children | Jenna Auriemma, Alyssa Auriemma, Michael Auriemma |
| Salary | $1.95 million annually |
| Social Media | Facebook (15.2k followers), Instagram (19.1k followers) |
| Merch | Book, Signed Basketball, Autographed Trading Card |
| Last Update | May 2022 |
Net Worth & Salary
Geno Auriemma’s net worth is expected to be approximately $10 million by 2022.
Auriemma earns around $1.95 million per year as the head coach of the highly regarded UConn Huskies women’s basketball team. In addition, the instructor has written a book titled In Pursuit of Perfection.
Geno, the head coach of the UConn women’s basketball team, just extended his contract through the 2024-25 season.
Geno will earn a base salary of $600,000 per year under the terms of the contract.
Simultaneously, he receives additional pay for speaking, consulting, and media appearances. This income is expected to rise by $100,000 per year.
Aside from his current position, Geno has the option of starting a five-year contract in the athletic department for $500,000.
Professional Career
Auriemma first joined the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team in 1985, and the team has only had one winning season since then.
Furthermore, he was the last candidate to be interviewed, and the majority of the other candidates were ladies with extensive experience.
Chris Dailey, the current associate head coach, was also a possibility and the frontrunner behind Auriemma.
Connecticut had a 12-15 record in Geno’s first season after being hired in August 1985. The Huskies went on to have their first 20-win season, as well as their first conference title and trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Since then, the Huskies have gone 33 seasons without finishing below.500. In 1994-95, 2001-02, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2013-14, and 2015-16, the team was undefeated six times.
They also set three records for winning streaks of 111, 90, and 70 games in a row.
They have appeared in every NCAA Tournament from 1989 to the end of the 2018-19 season, which is the third-longest straight appearance run in Division I.
Achievements
In 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, Auriemma coached UConn to 20 seasons with 30 or more wins and 11 national championships.
In addition, the team has reached the Final Four 20 times, including in 1991, 1995, 1996, 2000-2004, and 2008-2019.
The Huskies have won 21 conference regular-season titles and 20 conference tournament titles under his leadership.
When the Huskies won in 2016, Geno passed UCLA men’s coach John Wooden for the most NCAA basketball championships.
Auriemma is also known for working closely with his players’ development and potential.
Rebecca Lobo, Jennifer Rizzotti, Kara Wolters, Nykesha Sales, Svetlana Abrosimova, Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Stefanie Dolson, Bria Hartley, and Breanna Stewart are among his 13 multiple-All-America players.
These players have a combined total of eight Naismith College Player of the Year awards, seven Wade Trophy awards, and nine NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player awards.
On New Year’s Eve of 2006, Auriemma won his 600th game in 716 games, tying him with Phillip Kahler for the most in a single season.
Later, the coach won his 700th game in just 822 games, becoming him the fastest head coach in college basketball history to do so.
Similarly, he became only the sixth coach in women’s basketball history to reach 800 victories, and he did so in 928 games, faster than any other coach in history.
Geno subsequently went on to win his 900th game in only 1034 career games. Geno’s record now stands at a stunning 1099 victories and 142 losses.
Rivalries
The UConn Huskies and the University of Tennessee Lady Vols developed a rivalry, which influenced Auriemma’s personal connection with Pat Summitt.
Furthermore, the two were frequently at odds and voiced it through the media. Summitt died in 2016 after retiring in 2012.
Former UConn men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun, who famously insulted the women’s team fan base, referring to it as the “world’s largest retirement home,” is considered a rival of Auriemma.
Auriemma guided the US women’s team to five consecutive victories after being selected as head coach of the team competing in the Junior World Championship in Brno, Czech Republic (July 2001).
They qualified for the medal round as a result of their good fortune.
The US squad, however, came up short against the Czech Republic, losing 92-88. In addition, despite defeating Australia, the squad was awarded the bronze medal.
Prior to the 2010 World Championship and 2012 Olympics, Geno was selected as head coach of the United States Women’s National Team to prepare them.
Because many of the players participated in the WNBA, the team could only practice for one day before departing for Ostrava and Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.
Furthermore, they dominated Greece in their first game, winning by 26 points. They scored more than 20 points in each of their first five games.
Swin Cash, Angel McCoughtry, Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, Lindsay Whalen, and Sylvia Fowles led the scoring in the first several games.
Similarly, the team went on to win the sixth game against an Australian team that had been undefeated up to that point. The final score was 83-75 in favor of the team.
Achievements
The United States faced the Czech Republic after winning the following two games by more than 30 points.
The United States constantly maintained a lead in the championship game, never allowing the Czech Republic to get close to them on the scoreboard.
This was the final nail in the coffin, and they were awarded the gold medal.
Auriemma then guided his side to an 8-game winning streak before defeating France 86-50 in the 2012 Olympics final game to capture the gold medal for the second time.
With a score of 86-73, they won by the smallest margin possible against bronze medal winners Australia. All of the other games ended with a winning margin of 25 points or more.
Geno was selected as the team’s head coach for the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women and the 2016 Summer Olympics after dominating the 2012 Olympics.
By the end of the competition, the team had won both events and had gone undefeated in both.
Relationships, Wives, and Children
Kathy Auriemma and Geno Auriemma have been married since 1978.
When they married, the two were broke but madly in love. Since then, the pair has remained together without causing much controversy in the public.
Jenna and Alyssa, their daughters, and Michael, their son, are their three children. Geno and Kathy spent a long period in Avalon, New Jersey, to be near their parents, who lived in the Philadelphia region.
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Presence on Social Media
Auriemma has a total of 15.2k Facebook followers and 19.1k Instagram followers. He also has a website called genoauriemma.com.
Auriemma isn’t particularly active on social media. Geno occasionally shares posts, which are usually about basketball.
