Geno Auriemma has a rather colorful take on Bill Belichick.
The UConn women’s basketball coach is the winningest coach in college hoops with 11 national titles and also has two gold medals with the United States women’s national team to his name. Auriemma and the Huskies also just broke their own longest win streak Saturday after beating SMU on Saturday for their 91st consecutive victory.
In other words, Auriemma knows a thing or two about how to be a successful coach.
So when Auriemma was asked about Belichick in a recent interview with the New York Post, it shouldn’t come as a surprise he defended the New England Patriots coach’s success.
“Their ability to plug people into spots regardless, and then year after year,” Auriemma said. “… I love when people criticize really successful coaches. I remember reading one article one time — ‘Yeah, well, if Phil Jackson didn’t have (Shaquille O’Neal) and Kobe (Bryant), and if he didn’t coach Michael (Jordan) and (Scottie) Pippen, where the hell would he be?’
“Well, no s–t. Where would any coach be? If (Vince) Lombardi didn’t coach 10 Hall of Famers, where would he be? If Chuck Noll didn’t coach 10 Hall of Famers, if Red Auerbach — you name it. You don’t get to be discussed the way we’re discussing people unless they coached great players. ‘He’s got Tom Brady’ — well, no s–t. You still got to know what to do with him.”
Belichick proved Auriemma right when the Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 34-16 in their AFC divisional-round game Saturday. The Pats remain in the running to help Belichick earn his seventh Super Bowl ring — his fifth with New England — continuing with their sixth straight AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Thumbnail photo via Ray Carlin/USA TODAY Sports Images
