Dawn Staley deflects Auriemma drama to stay focused on UCLA’s title
During her post-game interview, Staley was asked about what happened in the Gamecocks’ previous Final Four game against UConn, where she and head coach Geno Auriemma had a Tense exchange after South Carolina He advanced to the title game for the third year in a row.
Instead of offering more of her thoughts, Staley had a classy response.
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Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks watches during the first half of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament game against the UCLA Bruins at the Mortgage Matching Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 5, 2026. (Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos)
“I don’t want to — this is UCLA’s day, right? Let’s keep UCLA winning the national championship,” Staley told reporters. The athlete. “…We’re not going to ruin UCLA’s day with it.”
Before that national title contest, Staley was seen having a friendly welcome from UC Bruins coach Corey Close — a much different experience than the way Friday night ended with Auriemma.
After the Gamecocks Defeated HuskyStaley and Auriemma went viral with their interaction in the middle of the court, with Auriemma appearing to irritate Staley before he left.
This time, Staley and Close hugged and exchanged a few words. During the exchange, Staley then looked around and said, “See??” Per NBC Sports.
Staley was showing some sarcasm, noting that Auriemma did not shake her hand before kickoff in the final matchup between the two teams on Friday night.
After the Gamecocks’ win over the Huskies, Staley was asked what exactly happened with Auriemma, though she tried to explain her focus on helping her team qualify for the national title game. If they win, it will be the fourth national championship in the past 10 years for South Carolina.
Head coach Corey Close of the UCLA Bruins watches during the first quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA women’s basketball national championship at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 5, 2026. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
“For me, there are no distractions at this time. I’m focused on winning the national championship, that’s all,” Staley said at the time. “It’s a little frustrating. This is sports, sometimes things like this happen. I’ll continue to focus on my team and my abilities to advance in this tournament and hopefully win another national championship.”
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Auriemma later He issued a statement apologizing For his actions after the loss.
“There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game against South Carolina. It’s different from what I do and what our standard is here.” In Connecticut“I want to apologize to the staff and team at South Carolina. There was no justification in how I reacted. The story should be about how well South Carolina is doing, and I don’t want my actions to detract from that. I’ve had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them,” the Hall of Fame coach said in a statement on Saturday.
Staley added that she had “no idea” why Auriemma was so angry after the game, though she guessed he might have been angry about the lack of a pregame handshake on his part. Either way, Staley was moving forward.
UCLA Bruins coach Corey Close shakes hands with South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley after defeating South Carolina 79-51 in the women’s NCAA championship game at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on April 4, 2026. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
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“I don’t know what he came up with after the game, but sometimes things get heated. We’re moving forward,” she said.
For UCLA, it was the first time the women’s basketball program had won a national title, following their emotional postgame celebration in Phoenix.
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