It's been nearly a week since the on-court confrontation between UConn's Geno Auriemma and South Carolina's Dawn Staley got everyone questioning Auriemma's professionalism. One person who had some pretty strong words for the UConn coach this week, and played for Auriemma's greatest rival, is WNBA legend Candace Parker.
On the latest episode of the Post Moves podcast with Aliyah Boston - a former pupil of Staley - Parker noted that the incident in the Final Four was hardly the first time that Auriemma had lashed out after getting thoroughly beaten by an opposing coach.
“The thing that is glaring to me, Aliyah, and this is what has gone on and on in my mind, and this is what I think it is summed up, because we’ve had different reactions to this — when he’s whooping your (expletive) and you’re not a threat, there’s grace,” Parker said. “Right? But every person that has won against him or challenged him this is kind of what their relationship is.”
Auriemma vs. Summitt
Parker made it clear that she has disliked Auriemma for a long time due in large part to her beloved mentor, the late-great Pat Summitt, disliking him during her coaching career.
“He don’t like Dawn, Dawn don’t like him,” Parker said. “They might respect each other, but… Pat damned sure didn’t like him. And that’s part of the reason why I don’t. You know what I mean? So it’s one of those things where it’s like a lot of people can be gracious when they’re on top and when you know that somebody is not a threat. But when it’s the moment that somebody is a threat…”
Parker said that if someone as respectable as Summitt had gripes with Auriemma, then it shows that the man just isn't worthy of her unconditional respect.
“And my thing is like coach Summit is one of the most respectable people you will ever meet in your life and she did not mess with Geno,” Parker said. “Like didn’t mess with him. And so therefore it’s — I don’t know.
“I think that there are different ways that you can do things. Obviously super successful, and I’m not trying to like pile on, but I think people are acting so surprised by this like this hasn’t always been the case.”
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Ultimately, Parker said that Auriemma's lack of respect while losing is what makes him so unlikable.
“That’s all I’ve got to say, is, yeah, it’s easy to respect people when you’re whooping their (expletive), standing at halfcourt after you win by 30,” Parker said. “But it is hard after you’re losing to shake hands and to be respectful for the game. It is what it is.”
