Auriemma is SUCH a DOUCHE!!!!

[jcolli30]

Although women's basketball season ended two weeks ago, it was open season on Pat Summitt and Tennessee Tuesday.

Connecticut women's coach Geno Auriemma took aim and fired.

At a press conference in Storrs, Conn., to wrap up the Huskies' season, Auriemma unleashed some lingering resentment toward the Lady Vols basketball coach over Tennessee's decision last spring to end the regular-season series between the two schools.

The spark that reignited Auriemma was a question about Summitt always saying, "Geno knows" when asked why UT ended the series.

"Pat knows,'' he said. "I don't have to say anything. Pat knows. She knows why we're not playing. There's nothing for me to say. I'm not the one that made the decision not to play. So she should just tell you why instead of saying, 'Geno knows.' I do know. I already told you. She accused us of cheating at recruiting. She doesn't have the courage to say it publicly. So yeah, Geno does know. And I've said it."

ESPN reported last month that Tennessee raised a complaint with the SEC office over an ESPN private tour the Huskies basketball office helped arrange in October 2005 for then-top recruit Maya Moore and her mother, Kathryn. Two sources said the tour amounted to a secondary rules violation.

" 'Geno knows,' " Auriemma said, "There's a lot of things I know about a lot of people. That doesn't mean I cancel the series. This is the same person who said if the Duke fans didn't treat her players right, she was going to cancel that series."

The reference was to Summitt threatening to end UT's series with Duke if the "Cameron Crazies" student section persisted this season with waving plastic bags and chanting "Wal-Mart" at Lady Vol Alexis Hornbuckle in reference to her being arrested as a high school senior on a misdemeanor shoplifting charge at a Wal-Mart in West Virginia. The chants continued when the two teams played at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Jan. 28. The series continues as well.

"So if people don't stop misbehaving, they're only going to play regular-season scheduled conference games,'' Auriemma said. "Unless that starts to bug them. So the bottom line is it's not going to change. Don't get me wrong. It's not going to change."

Auriemma said the regular-season series between Tennessee and Connecticut will not be revived.

"It would have to be eight games here, one in Nashville and one in Memphis; that would be my proposal to them,'' he said, smiling. "That's the only way I would do it."

When asked about the possibility of playing UT at the Maggie Dixon Classic in New York City, Auriemma said, "If you're not going to play here or there, you're not going to play them at Madison Square Garden in a charity event that's supposed to help a good cause. How could they be involved with that? That would be something that's good for the game."

While his comments indicate otherwise, Auriemma said the situation "doesn't irk me."

"With some people that's just their style,'' he said. "They're passive-aggressive. They always want to have somebody to blame for what's going on."

When reached for comment Tuesday night, Summitt said "It's absolutely not worth a comment."

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.


What a joke this guy is. He's nothing but a child.

[LadyVols#1Fan]

`I’m always amazed at who gets jobs in this country,’’ Auriemma said. ``I think the world as we know it right now is pretty simple. If you’re a minority candidate you can be involved in any job in America, and you’re probably going to be in the final two. There’s not an athletic director in America that won’t tell you, `Hey, look, I’m looking for a women’s basketball coach and if I can hire a minority woman that will be like dying and going to heaven.’ So it really doesn’t matter anymore whether you’re a good coach, bad coach, lots of experience, no experience, 21 or 41"

forum.connpost.com

[jcolli30]

He is unbelievable. It's like he has an inferiority complex or something. If he can't win, then he's going to complain about something or someone. Maybe if he spent less time complaining and more time coaching, he could win with his illegal recruits?

[TennesseeFan07]

Come on, if it wasn't for Geno we or no one would be talking about women's basketball period. He's right there behind Pat for the best coach in the game. What he does is great for the game

[doozer]

Auriemma is SUCH a DOUCHE!!!!

water is wet.

[Rasputin_Vol]

I suppose we should cancel our series with Bama because they got caught cheating...

Brilliant

[kptvol]

Originally Posted by Rasputin_Vol

I suppose we should cancel our series with Bama because they got caught cheating...

Brilliant

The Bama-UT rivalry is over 100 years old.

[Rasputin_Vol]

Originally Posted by kptvol

The Bama-UT rivalry is over 100 years old.

And Tenn-UConn was the biggest/only rivalry in women's basketball.

There's no excuse for not playing that game or for threatening to not play Duke, for that matter.

[The Dude]

The excuse is the school doesn't want to. The game isn't required, its not a conference game.

[Rasputin_Vol]

Originally Posted by The Dude

The excuse is the school doesn't want to. The game isn't required, its not a conference game.

Weak excuse... very weak excuse to not play the most marquee game in women's basketball because of that. You would think they would want to do all they could to help promote the sport. Now Pat is up here cancelling this series and threatening Duke with ending the series there. The silliest idea I've ever heard of in sports... dodging competition.

[utvolpj]

Originally Posted by TennesseeFan07

Come on, if it wasn't for Geno we or no one would be talking about women's basketball period. He's right there behind Pat for the best coach in the game. What he does is great for the game

No, what Pat does is great for the game. She wins championships, graduates all her players and is a great ambassador for the women's game. She does it in a manner than Geno will never achieve and does not want.

Originally Posted by Rasputin_Vol

Weak excuse... very weak excuse to not play the most marquee game in women's basketball because of that. You would think they would want to do all they could to help promote the sport. Now Pat is up here cancelling this series and threatening Duke with ending the series there. The silliest idea I've ever heard of in sports... dodging competition.

Are you seriously accusing CPS of dodging competition? The hardest schedule every year and she's dodging someone? Please, she's trying to keep the women's game above board and do what she thinks is right.

The marquee game in WBB has changed quite a few times over the years but with one constant, the Lady Vols. Skipping a series with UConn will have no effect on the LV staying at the top or winning titles.

[KB5252]

Summit canceling with UCONN will not hurt the Lady Vols only UCONN. The marquee game has changed over the years. Saying that Geno is right behind Summit is laughable. While he may be arguably the second best womens coach today Summit stands head and shoulders above him. Summit does what she does with class which is something that Geno is lacking.

[cd12]

So you cancel the most prominent match up in WCB over something that amounts to a traffic violation? Seems to me Pat was looking for a way out.... but the Pat vs Geno match up does make any future tourney games more interesting and will probably get more ratings (ESPN will play it up). I do agree with Geno's content....his delivery was just off. In the the grand scheme of things ...how many people outside of the two programs actually care?

As for post # 2 .....like Spurrier...Geno gets his digs in when he sees an opening.....

[615 Vol]

I guess "Geno knows" he is also 3 NC's behind now.

[cd12]

but what is their head to head and hasn't he got his titles in less time? I don't pay that much attention to the stats...so one of you stat guys ....go to work!