Geno Auriemma refuses handshake after shouting match with Daybreak Staley

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Friday's women's March Madness game between UConn and South Carolina noticed an eruption of tempers boiled over as two of the sport's sport’s most legendary coaches received into engaged in a heated sideline confrontation.

UConn's Geno Auriemma and South Carolina's Daybreak Staley have been seen shouting aggressively at one another within the closing second moments of the sport. South Carolina was on the verge of a 62-48 win within the Last 4, when With South Carolina closing in on a 62-48 Last 4 win, Auriemma approached Staley, and the alternate started to talk to her aggressively, earlier than the dialog devolved into rapidly escalated into a visual shouting match.

After the sport, Auriemma didn't shake Staley's hand.

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UConn head coach Geno Auriemma watches a play late within the second half of a Candy 16 recreation of the NCAA school basketball event towards North Carolina in Fort Price, Texas, on March 27, 2026. (LM Otero/AP)

Staley addressed the incident in an interview with ESPN instantly afterward.

"I do not know, however I'll let you understand this, I am of integrity. I am of integrity," Staley mentioned. "So if I did one thing incorrect to Geno, I had no thought what I did, I assume he thought I did not shake his hand initially of the sport, I did not know, I went down there pregame, shook everyone on his employees's hand, I do not know what we got here with after the sport, however hey generally issues get heated. We transfer on."

Auriemma was seen shaking Staley's hand in ESPN footage earlier than the sport.

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UConn head coach Geno Auriemma reacts to a play through the first half of a Candy 16 recreation of the NCAA school basketball event towards North Carolina in Fort Price, Texas, on March 27, 2026. (Julio Cortez/AP Picture)

Auriemma addressed the incident within the postgame press convention.

"I do not need what occurred there to dampen what we have been in a position to accomplish immediately," Staley mentioned.

In the meantime, Auriemma expressed displeasure with Staley and the referees throughout an in-game interview on ESPN.

"There have been six fouls referred to as that quarter — all of them towards us," Auriemma mentioned on the printed. "And so they’ve been beating the (expletive) out of our guys down there all the recreation. I’m not making excuses, ’trigger we haven’t been in a position to make a shot. However that is ridiculous.

"Their coach rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referee some names you don’t wish to hear. And now we get 6 to 0, and I received a child with a ripped jersey, and so they go, ‘I didn’t see it.’ Come on, man. It’s for a nationwide championship."

After the sport, Auriemma declined to elaborate on the incident.

"I mentioned what I needed to say and... nothing... nothing," he mentioned when requested what occurred with Staley, refusing to inform reporters what he mentioned.

"Why would I say it. I mentioned what I mentioned and clearly she did not prefer it. I simply advised the reality."

Auriemma later addressed the hypothesis over the handshake pre-game and his mid-game interview.

"I haven't got any regrets," Auriemma mentioned of his mid-game interview.

"I have been teaching a very long time, I by no means had a child have to vary their jersey as a result of someone ripped it and the official mentioned they did not see it. There have been a number of issues that occurred in that recreation. Until you are on that sideline you haven't any thought what's taking place on that sideline...

"The protocol is, earlier than the sport, you meet at halfcourt, anyone ever see that earlier than? The 2 coaches meet at halfcourt and so they shake arms... they announce it on the loud speaker. I waited there for like three minutes."

Footage of the shouting alternate rapidly went viral on social media, with many followers shocked to 2 of girls’s basketball’s most revered figures conflict so publicly.

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Daybreak Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks argues with Geno Auriemma of the UConn Huskies through the second half of an NCAA Ladies's Last 4 semifinal recreation at Mortgage Matchup Middle in Phoenix, Ariz., on April 3, 2026. (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Pictures through Getty Pictures)

ESPN star Stephen A. Smith blasted Auriemma for the incident in an X submit.

"That was some straight B.S. from the GREAT Geno Auriemma. By no means — ever — thought I’d see the day when the best girl’s school coach in historical past would go down so CLASSLESSLY!!! Horrible look, and needs to be referred to as out for it. He received OUTCOACHED," Smith wrote. "Plain and easy. And will get in her face like she did one thing incorrect to him as a substitute of being gracious. Had Daybreak Staley acted like that we'd be throughout her."

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Jackson Thompson is a sports activities reporter for Fox Information Digital protecting important political and cultural points in sports activities, with an investigative lens. Jackson's reporting has been cited in federal authorities actions associated to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media retailers together with The New York Instances, The Los Angeles Instances, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Related Press and ESPN.com.