Geno Auriemma is now the longest tenured coach in women’s college basketball. The 2024-25 season will be his 40th as UConn’s head coach, and he turned 70 on March 23.
Therefore, it’s not a question of if Auriemma will retire. It’s a question of when.
And when he does, the question becomes who will replace him at UConn’s helm?
The Athletic’s Chantel Jennings discussed potential replacements for Auriemma in an April 25 article.
“For a long time at UConn, that person [in line to replace Auriemma] was Shea Ralph,” Jennings wrote. “But she’s now a few years into a great rebuilding process at Vanderbilt. I’m not sure she’d leave, but UConn would need to try.”
Ralph won a National Championship at UConn as a player in 2000, coached under Auriemma for 13 seasons, and mentored players like Paige Bueckers.
When Auriemma does retire, expect UConn to make a push for Ralph.
“In addition to Ralph, Jamelle Elliott is still on staff and should be given a look. Outside of the current staff, I’d imagine Carla Berube — UConn grad and current Princeton coach — would be high on the list,” Jennings added.
There are many former UConn players who’d make for intriguing options once Auriemma calls it quits.
Although Jennings also noted a non-UConn graduate that could be a dark horse candidate to replace Auriemma.
“An outside-of-the-box look (depending on when Auriemma retires)? Carly Thibault-Dudonis,” Jennings wrote. “She’s down the road at Fairfield and building a program there. She’s outside of the UConn lineage, but that might be attractive.”
Thibault-Dudonis is a fascinating option. She’s considered one of the country’s top recruiters, and comes from a family of head coaches. Her father Mike Thibault is the winningest coach in WNBA history, and her brother Eric is the current Washington Mystics head coach.
UConn choosing Thibault-Dudonis to replace Auriemma would send shockwaves across the college basketball landscape.
But it’s a move that UConn should certainly consider, whenever that time arrives.
Auriemma Eyes The NCAA Wins Record
Longtime Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer announced her retirement on April 9. The 1,216 NCAA wins she tallied across her 45-season coaching career makes her college basketball’s winningest coach.
Auriemma, however, currently has 1,213 wins to his name.
And given that Auriemma seems keen to return next season, he’ll surely surpass VanDerveer’s wins record.
Which is not a record that the UConn legend ever expected to have.
According to a February 8 article from Just Women’s Sports, Auriemma said, “I could probably say, with a great deal of certainty, that I’ll never be No. 1 in wins, I don’t think that will happen. And I’m still going to enjoy my wine and I’m going to sleep good tonight.”
Clearly Auriemma didn’t anticipate VanDerveer retiring when she did.
Can UConn Win Another Championship Under Auriemma?
With Bueckers returning alongside Azzi Fudd, plus the additions of Sarah Strong and Princeton transfer Kaitlyn Chen, UConn seems poised for another Final Four run in 2025.
Auriemma’s roster remaining healthy is a must, if he’s to capture his 12th National Championship next season.
And if he can do so, perhaps that will prompt him to call it a career.
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