Geno Auriemma Blasts WNBA On-Court Quality Amid Officiating Debate

UConn Huskies legendary head coach Geno Auriemma has watched a lot of basketball in his lifetime.

Specifically, he has watched a lot of women’s basketball. Not only has he coached UConn’s women’s team for a whopping four decades, but that doesn’t factor in all the recruiting he has done (which requires watching high school games) and following his former players’ professional careers once their Huskies days conclude.

And given Auriemma’s stature in the sport, few people’s opinions on matters are more respected than his. This is why it was fascinating to hear him weigh in on the ongoing discourse about the WNBA’s physicality and whether he’s concerned that style of play will seep into the college game when speaking with the media on September 29.

UConn’s Geno Auriemma Addresses WNBA Physicality Discourse

“I’ve had a lot of NBA people, and a lot of former WNBA players, tell me that what goes on in a WNBA game is way more physical than what happens in a NBA game,” Auriemma said, per a video from the Storrs Central YouTube channel.

“On a daily basis, I think the WNBA game is not conducive to great basketball. I mean, you can spin it any way you want. ‘Well, there’s more viewers, there’s more that.’ That’s great. That doesn’t mean that it’s a better game just because people are watching, supposedly,” he added. “You watch last year’s final game between the Liberty and the Lynx, it was a horrendous game.

“But any way you want to spin it, it was a horrendous game. The two best teams in the league, and what, the score was 20-20 at halftime, or something like that?” Auriemma continued.

For the record, the Lynx were winning 34-27 at halftime of Game 5 of the 2024 WNBA Finals.

“People can’t get open, people can’t cut, the ball handler is getting whacked every time they move. Listen: You always expect your best player to have a rough time. I’ve been through that, and I’ve complained about it a lot.

“And I don’t blame the officials… I don’t think it’s the people actually officiating the games. I think it’s what’s either in the rulebook or what’s accepted as, ‘This is the style of play that we want.’ Because if they didn’t want that style of play, they wouldn’t have it,” he concluded.

This is an eye-opening sentiment for Auriemma to share, especially the bit about the on-court quality of WNBA games. It will be interesting to see whether this stance prompts any response.

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