Geno Auriemma doesn’t sound eager to join the swirl around the WNBA’s latest controversies. What he does sound is disappointed.
In an interview with TODAY this week, the UConn head coach said it was “a shame” that the league’s long-awaited surge in attention has been consumed by the wrong kind of noise. For Auriemma, the conversation should be centered on the product on the floor - the teams, the talent and the young stars driving the league forward.
“It’s a shame because for years we’ve wanted more attention paid to women’s sports, craved the attention, wanted it, deserved it, and it never came to the extent that it is today,” Auriemma said. “And now the attention unfortunately is on the wrong things.
“So they need to figure out a way to bring the attention back to the incredible young players that have come into the league, the incredible teams that are in the league, the level of play, how much it’s changed.
“Let’s talk about the game instead of these hypothetical things that may or may not happen down the road.”
Auriemma has spent years around the league’s biggest names. He has coached all of the WNBA’s UConn alumni and matched up against many of its top stars during NCAA Tournament runs. Still, he made clear he has little interest in wading into the recent debates.
“I have a thing at Connecticut. If it doesn’t impact winning, I don’t want to talk about it.
So what’s this have to do with winning?” he said.
The league has dealt with several flashpoints this summer, including arguments over officiating and flagrant fouls, discussions around transgender athletes in sports, and questions about whether coaches are showing enough support for their players in press conferences.
A number of those conversations have centered on the Indiana Fever. The first major officiating debate was set off by an uncalled foul on Caitlin Clark.
Sophie Cunningham then drew attention with comments about transgender athletes in an ESPN interview. Most recently, head coach Stephanie White stirred controversy by not being forceful enough in defending Cunningham after she was hard fouled in a game.
Taken together, the episodes have raised a broader question: whether the issue lies with the WNBA itself or with the specific people one team has assembled.
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