- Dawn Staley addressed a heated postgame interaction with Geno Auriemma from the 2026 Final Four.
- Auriemma accused Staley of not shaking his hand pregame, which Staley denies and says made her “blood boil.”
- Staley believes Auriemma’s reaction was more about his team’s loss than the handshake itself.
- Auriemma later issued a public apology for his actions following the incident.
In a recent interview, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley addressed her heated interaction with UConn coach Geno Auriemma in the 2026 Final Four.
Staley was a guest on “Grey Matter with Declan Kelly” on Oct. 21 and opened up about the moment Auriemma accused her of not shaking his hand pregame and his confrontation postgame.
“In the moment, I really didn’t understand what he was saying because I shook his hand,” Staley said. “… When it was time to shake hands at the end, I don’t know, he said something, and I’m like, ‘What? Did I just hear what I just heard?’ I said, ‘I shook your hand,’ and then he went on and on. My blood’s boiling at this point because he just called me a liar.”…