Geno Auriemma, often known as Luigi “Geno” Auriemma, is an American collegiate basketball coach of Italian descent. The University of Connecticut Huskies women’s basketball team is coached by Auriemma.
Early Life, Family, and Education
On March 23, 1954, Geno was born in the southern Italian town of Montella. Donato Auriemma is his father, while Marseille Auriemma is his mother.
Similar to him, his two siblings—a sister called Anna Auriemma and a brother named Ferruccio—had a difficult upbringing in which amenities like electricity, running water, and the heat were considered luxuries.
Geno assisted his parents with paying the mortgage and dealing with attorneys from a young age.
When he was seven years old, the family relocated to Norristown, Pennsylvania, and Auriemma spent the remainder of his youth there.
He received a degree from West Chester University in Pennsylvania in 1977, after which he was employed by Saint Joseph’s University as an assistant coach. He formerly served as a coach at Wyncote, Pennsylvania’s Bishop McDevitt High School.
Later, he made a comeback to collegiate basketball as an assistant coach for the women’s team of the University of Virginia Cavaliers. At the age of 40, in 1994, he formally became an American citizen.
Career
Since Auriemma’s arrival on the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team in 1985, the group has only enjoyed one successful season.
In addition, the majority of the other applicants were extremely competent women, and he was the final candidate interviewed.
The second-most popular contender after Auriemma was the current assistant head coach Chris Dailey.
Connecticut ended with a record of 12-15 in Geno’s first season, which began after he was hired in August 1985. The Huskies then enjoyed their first season with 20 wins, their first conference title, and their first entry into the NCAA Tournament.
Since then, the Huskies have had 33 straight seasons with a record above.500. Additionally, the group dominated six seasons without a loss: 1994–1995; 2001–2002; 2008–09; 2009–10; 2013–14; and 2015–16.
They also set three records for consecutive victory streaks: 111, 90, and 70. They have taken part in every NCAA Tournament from 1989 through the completion of the 2018–19 season, which is the third-longest string of straight participation in Division I.
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US Basketball
In July 2001, Auriemma was appointed head coach of the American women’s team playing in the Junior World Championship in Brno, Czech Republic. She guided the squad to five straight victories.
They qualified for the medal round by following the luck stream. The American squad, however, was defeated by the Czech Republic, dropping the game 92-88. After overcoming Australia, the squad nonetheless took home the bronze medal.
Prior to the 2010 World Championship and the 2012 Olympics, Geno was appointed head coach of the US Women’s National Team to get them ready.
Due to the fact that the majority of the players were WNBA players, the squad could only practice for one day before departing for Ostrava and Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic.
Furthermore, they dominated Greece from the start, winning by a score of 26 points.
Similar to that, in the sixth game, the squad went on to triumph over the Australian side. Followingly, he had been unbeaten up to that point. It ended up being 83-75.
Rivalries
The rivalry between the University of Tennessee Lady Vols and the UConn Huskies had an effect on Auriemma’s close friendship with Pat Summitt.
Additionally, the two frequently disagreed and aired it in the media. Summitt ceased working in 2012 and passed away in 2016.
A rival of Auriemma’s is Jim Calhoun, a former UConn men’s basketball coach who famously disparaged the support of the women’s team by dubbing it the “world’s largest nursing home.”
Achievements
The USA faced the host Czech republic after winning the following two games by margins of more than 30 points.
In the championship game, the US never let the Czech Republic get close to them on the scoreboard and always maintained a lead. They won the gold medal as a result, which closed the deal.
Then, under Auriemma’s direction, his team went on an eight-game unbeaten streak before beating France 86-50 in the 2012 Olympic gold-medal game.
They defeated bronze medalist Australia with a score of 86-73 in their most impressive victory. The victory margin in every other game was 25 points or more.
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Likely, Geno was appointed the team’s head coach once more for the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women and the 2016 Summer Olympics after dominating the 2012 Summer Games.
By the time it was all said and done, the squad had won both competitions and had a perfect record.
Net Worth
The highly regarded UConn Huskies women’s basketball team is coached by Auriemma, who earns a salary of roughly $1.95 million annually. In addition, the teacher has also authored a book with the working title In Pursuit of Perfection.
He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in addition to having a legendary career and winning other honors.
Furthermore, it was said that Luigi made $10.9 million in total in pay between 2013 and 2018. Geno’s net worth is anticipated to be approximately $10 million as of 2022.
Additionally, Geno Auriemma just extended his contract with UConn women’s basketball until the 2024–25 season.
Relationships, Wife, and Children
Since 1978, Geno Auriemma has been wed to Kathy Auriemma. Although they were much in love, the two were broke when they were married. Since then, the pair has remained together without any major conflicts attracting public attention.
They are parents to two girls, Jenna and Alyssa, and a son, Michael. Geno and Kathy spent a considerable amount of time in Avalon, New Jersey, in order to be near their parents. They live in the Philadelphia region.
Height and Weight
Geno, the head coach of UConn, is 185 cm or 6 feet tall. No reliable sources have yet provided information on his weight. Meanwhile, the coach’s eyes are pale grey, and his hair is a light brown tone.
Social Media Presence
Auriemma has accounts on Facebook and Instagram, the latter of which has 19.1k followers. Additionally, he maintains the domain genoauriemma.com.
On his social media accounts, Auriemma is not very active. Geno sometimes shares articles, most of which are concerning basketball.
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Quick Facts
| 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) |
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