WNBA legend Tina Charles says it’s not hard to play for Geno Auriemma at UConn

Tina Charles, a WNBA legend and former UConn star, played for Geno Auriemma from 2006-2010. She won two national titles under his leadership and was named the National Player of the Year in 2010.

In a sit-down with SNY for an episode of “Geno & CD: 40 Years of Excellence,” releasing this Wednesday, Charles reflected on her time playing for the legendary coach.

“I don’t think it’s hard to play for Coach Auriemma,” Tina said (0:57). “He just wants you to work hard all the time, and at the age of 17 to 21, you don’t know what that looks like.”

“You don’t know how to replicate that day in and day out — the mental process, the maturity that you have to have. But he doesn’t give up on you, especially when he knows who you want to be and how you want to reflect.”

Charles was a dominant force on both ends of the floor during her time at UConn. She holds the record for most career rebounds (1,367) at the school. After an illustrious college career, she was picked No. 1 in the 2010 WNBA Draft.

She played for several teams including the Connecticut Sun, New York Liberty and Washington Mystics. The 2012 MVP earned eight All-Star selections throughout her WNBA career.

Geno Auriemma challenges players to embrace hard work, not excuses

UConn coach Geno Auriemma is known for pushing players to their limits and challenging them to reach new heights through his demanding coaching style. Auriemma expects his players to embrace the hard work required to succeed, much like Tina Charles did.

“People say playing at Connecticut’s really hard. It’s not really hard to play here. It’s not,” Auriemma said (0:50).

“You just got to play hard. If you want to play, you want to contribute, and you want to feel like you’re a part of this, until you really know what you’re doing, at least try really hard.”

Throughout his tenure at UConn, Geno Auriemma has nurtured countless elite players who have gone on to have successful professional careers, including Charles, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Rebecca Lobo and many others.

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Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro