Geno Auriemma regrets Dawn Staley March Madness incident

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Autumn Hawkins, ClutchPoints

Tue, May 5, 2026 ·

2 min read

Geno Auriemma regrets Dawn Staley March Madness incident appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

Geno Auriemma is reflecting on his viral moment with Dawn Staley during the March Madness.

During the last few seconds of the Final Four game on April 3, before S taley’s USC clinched the 62-48 victory over Auriemma’s UConn, the head coaches got into a heated discussion on the sidelines. Additionally, Auriemma refused to shake Staley’s hand, a formality between coaches after the end of a game. While Auriemma has already apologized to Staley publicly, the UConn head coach is reliving the moment he deeply regrets.

“You do things in the spur of the moment sometimes, but they usually come from things that have been building up for some time,” Auriemma said while speaking to media on UConn’s campus, according to USA Today via People.

He shared with ESPN at the time that he immediately regretted his behavior.

“When I walked into the locker room afterward,” he said, per ESPN, “you’re just shaking your head going, five more seconds, you couldn’t keep it in for five more seconds?”

Auriemma added, “I just feel like a dumbass for the way it played out. We are all human and we all do dumb s—.” The Huskies coach told reporters he “didn’t see a lot of” the online reaction to the moment, but said, “[the fallout] is to be expected.”

“Maybe some of it was warranted and some of it was people lying in the weeds waiting for that moment,” he continued. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve done for the game, it’s what you just did. Unfortunately, that’s the world we live in today and it usually is one-sided.”

He then shared that he is taken accountability for his actions and the attention it brought to him.

Auriemma added, “I brought the criticism on myself, I didn’t bring the commotion that came after that on myself.”

While Auriemma got a lot of heat for the incident, Staley shared that she did not want fans to continue to issue hate towards him.

“I spoke with Geno, and I want to be clear — I have a great deal of respect for him and what he’s meant to this game. One moment doesn’t define a career, and it doesn’t change the impact he’s had on growing women’s basketball,” Staley wrote in a statement on April 7.

“The standard at UConn is what it is because of him, and that’s something this game has benefited from,” the Gamecocks coach continued. “So, I’m asking everyone to turn the page. Let’s refocus on what matters most — continuing to elevate our game, creating opportunities and pushing it forward.”