Norristown’s Geno Auriemma ties Coach K for No. 2 all-time in Division 1 wins

The UConn women’s coach now has 1,202 career wins.

UConn's Geno Auriemma now has 1,202 wins and counting.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer

Published Feb. 17, 2024, 12:54 a.m. ET

Make that 1,202 ... and counting.

Geno Auriemma didn’t have to sweat out career win No. 1,202, as his Connecticut Huskies rolled to an 85-44 win on Friday night over Georgetown in Storrs. More importantly, the Norristown native, and longtime UConn women’s basketball coach, tied former Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski for second on the Division 1 college basketball career wins list. Auriemma’s first chance to pass his good friend and move into sole possession of second place will be on Monday when No. 15 UConn hosts No. 20 Creighton at the XL Center in Hartford (12 p.m., FOX).

But maybe the biggest news of the night was Auriemma confirming that he isn’t quite done just yet. The 11-time NCAA champion confirmed he will coach again next season, a concept that sounded like less than a foregone conclusion even just a week ago.

“Yeah, I’ll be back,” Auriemma told the media Friday, quelling questions about his future for now.

Auriemma had sparked recent speculation about his future with his own comments following win No. 1,200 on Feb. 8. After the Huskies victory over Seton Hall, Auriemma said that he could see himself adding “more along the line of single digits” in terms of wins.

“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,” he added. “And I’m still going to enjoy my wine and I’m going to sleep good tonight.”

The comments came as a bit of a surprise, as Auriemma, who turns 70 next month, continues to rack up 30-win seasons and Final Four appearances at UConn. He also only trails current Stanford coach Tara Vanderveer, who is a year older than him, by five wins. Who is to say he couldn’t pass Vanderveer next season?

The chances of doing that greatly increased on Friday, as UConn’s All-American guard Paige Bueckers announced she would be returning to school for a fifth season. As part of the team’s celebration of senior night, Bueckers told the crowd at Gampel Pavilion: “Unfortunately, this will not be my last senior night here.”

Bueckers, who is averaging 20 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, figures to be one of the top returning players in the nation next season. Auriemma even joked that he was planning to come back next year “until Paige announced that she’s coming back.”

The basketball lifer, who was born in Italy but moved to Norristown when he was 7 years old, attended Bishop Kenrick for high school and later graduated from West Chester University. He later spent time coaching locally at Bishop McDevitt (girls), Kenrick (boys) and as an assistant with the St. Joseph’s women’s team.

In 39 years at UConn, Auriemma has amassed a record of 1,202–161 (.882 winning percentage), and has led his teams to a record 11 national titles and 22 Final Four appearances. He has won the Naismith Coach of the Year award a record eight times and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.