Geno's Unwarranted Beef With Staley

Rich waited to address the Geno Auriemma postgame situation until after he'd given UCLA its proper due for winning the national championship. That was intentional. Dawn Staley said the same thing when reporters asked her about it after the final. Let UCLA have the day.

But Rich still had plenty to say. Auriemma's interview with Holly Rowe at the top of the fourth quarter had a word that stuck out, "ranting and raving", aimed at Staley. Rich flagged it immediately. Those are charged words. Anyone who spends time around women, Auriemma included, knows that.

Then the postgame handshake situation came out. Auriemma waited three minutes at center court for Staley, who apparently didn't come down the line as expected. There's a photograph of them shaking hands before the game at the standard ceremonial meeting, but the second moment, the one announced over the PA, is where Auriemma says he was left standing. He stewed about it the entire game.

The jersey-rip incident Auriemma referenced also unraveled. The player, Sarah Strong, ripped her own jersey, which is why the refs didn't see anything and why Auriemma didn't see it either. It didn't happen on the court.

Auriemma was asked after the game if he regretted what he told Holly Rowe. His answer, on air: no, why would he. He cited 41 years of coaching and 25 Final Fours. The next day, he released a statement apologizing to the South Carolina staff and players. Two words missing from that statement, Dawn and Staley. Rebecca Lobo reported on the UCLA broadcast that Auriemma had reached out to Staley. Asked about it afterward, Staley said she had 800 text messages and hadn't seen it. Not her day to deal with it.

Rich's take splits into two pieces. First, he agreed with Brockman's colleague Sarah that Auriemma might be playing 4D chess, absorbing all the heat so no one talks about Sarah Strong going 4-for-16 or the team scoring nine in the fourth quarter. But Rich rejected the genius framing. Auriemma has history. This isn't a one-time thing.

Second, and more personal, Rich brought up his daughter Taylor. If she ever plays a game like that and beats a UConn team, he wants the opposing coach to look her in the eye and say great job. That's what the South Carolina players deserved. Auriemma is the avatar of the women's game. He has the platform. He's used it well on scheduling and other issues. On Sunday night, he didn't use it at all. The dean of the sport owed those players a walk down the handshake line.