Geno Auriemma releases statement after shouting match with Dawn Staley: 'Unlike what I do'

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UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma showed regret for his action at the end of Friday's Final Four game against South Carolina where he and Dawn Staley got into a heated discussion.

He began to speak to her aggressively, before the conversation devolved and quickly escalated into a visible shouting match. Auriemma said after the game he was upset that Staley had apparently not shaken his hand before the game (the two were seen shaking hands pregame, but Auriemma said he waited several minutes before seeing Staley).

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UConn head coach Geno Auriemma watches a play late in the second half of a Sweet 16 game of the NCAA college basketball tournament against North Carolina in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 27, 2026. (LM Otero/AP Photo)

"There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina," Auriemma said in a statement posted to social media.

"It’s unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut. I want to apologize to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for in how I reacted. The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don’t want my actions to detract from that. I’ve had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them."

Staley addressed the incident in an interview with ESPN immediately afterward.

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma reacts to a play during the first half of a Sweet 16 game of the NCAA college basketball tournament against North Carolina in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 27, 2026. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo)

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