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Geno Auriemma bluntly breaks down why modern college athletes are ‘fragile’
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- Geno Auriemma bluntly breaks down why modern college athletes are ‘fragile’
Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images
Legendary UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma recently addressed the notion that college athletes today are fragile.
Geno Auriemma has forgotten more about coaching basketball at the collegiate level than most people will ever know.
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The legendary UConn Huskies head coach has been in his role since 1985, a career that spans a whopping 41 years.
And with recent conversations around the sport suggesting that modern athletes are too fragile, the man himself stepped in to explain the situation.
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Geno Auriemma says athletes are treated 'like babies' which can make them fragile
Auriemma has coached some of the biggest names in women's basketball throughout the years. Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Maya Moore are just some of the names he has taught.
Even Paige Bueckers, one of the WNBA's biggest stars, grew under the coach at UConn. In a recent media appearance he explained why modern players can be a little fragile and also how he deals with it.
"People are treating them differently," Auriemma said. "From the time these kids are 12, people treat them like they're God's gift to the world. They treat them with baby-like things.
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"'They're so fragile. Don't break them. Don't hurt their feelings. Make sure that they're okay.' So they grow up fragile. And then, people blame them for being fragile.
"My thing is, 'No they're not.' They're just as tough as any other kid 25 years ago. You just have to bring it out of them somehow. Because they want it… They want the same things."
This is interesting insight into the psyche of the modern athlete, at least when they are younger. It'll be curious to see if this changes meaningfully in the coming years.
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