An old joke by Pat Summitt is going viral after latest tirade by Geno Auriemma
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma found himself in controversy again, this time for his words and actions in a Final Four loss to South Carolina. But it brought back an old joke that Pat Summitt dropped years ago.
Geno Auriemma is up to his old tricks, and this time, it brought about the memory of a great moment from legendary Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt.
Auriemma, who’s never shy to express exactly what he’s thinking or feeling in any given moment — to put it mildly — found himself embroiled in controversy for the way he handled himself both during and after the Huskies’ 62-48 Final Four loss to South Carolina on Friday night. Auriemma went off on the officiating during an in-game interview with Holly Rowe.
“There were six fouls called that quarter,” Auriemma said. “All of them against us, and they’ve been beating the (expletive) out of our guys down there the entire game. Now I’m not making excuses because we haven’t been able to make a shot, but this is ridiculous.
“Their coach (Dawn Staley) rants and raves on the sideline, and calls the referee some names you don’t want to hear. And now we get six-to-zero, and I got a kid with a ripped jersey. And they go, ‘I didn’t see it.’ Come on, man. This is for the national championship.”
Then, during the postgame handshake, Auriemma said something to Staley, and the two got into a yelling match on the floor, having to be separated.
Auriemma is no stranger to controversy in big games and rivalries, as Tennessee fans have known for decades. And on Saturday night, an old video clip from Summitt getting in a shot at Auriemma popped up and went viral, with over 7000 likes and over a thousand reposts.
Video of Pat Summitt joking about Geno Auriemma went viral on Twitter (X) after UConn’s Final Four loss
“Nope, once,” Summitt said during an old interview regarding whether Candace Parker dunked multiple times in a game at UConn. “Geno couldn’t handle twice,” Summitt quipped deadpan.
The dunk in question came back on January 6, 2007 in Hartford, Connecticut, where No. 4 Tennessee took on No. 5 UConn. Parker took the ball ahead up the floor and slammed it for the sixth dunk of her career. The Lady Vols won the game 70-64 and would go on to claim the first of two back-to-back national championships with Parker leading the way.
The Auriemma-Summitt rivalry was one of the greatest in basketball history, men’s or women’s. While Summitt tragically passed away in June 2016 after battling early onset Alzheimer’s disease, her legacy — and her ability to crack a smile from Vol fans — will live on forever.
UPDATE: Auriemma issued a statement on Saturday afternoon apologizing for his behavior after the game.
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