08-05-2025
4x WNBA Champion Names Hardest Part About Playing Under Geno Auriemma
So many of the WNBA's best and iconic players came up and refined their games through the tutelage of head coach Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies. The Big East powerhouse has won 12 NCAA tournament titles, the most in the sport. More impressively, all of those national championships have come since 1995.
One of the best players for the Huskies was Sue Bird, who played for UConn from 1998 to 2002. The 44-year-old icon won two national championships (2000 & 2002) and four WNBA titles (2004, 2010, 2018 and 2020).
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Bird, a 13-time WNBA All-Star and five-time Olympic gold medal winner, sat down for an episode of "Best of Both Worlds," a podcast hosted by Flau'jae Johnson of the LSU Tigers, to discuss her playing career in college and the WNBA.
Sue Bird, fiance of United States forward Megan Rapinoe (not pictured) looks on before the game between the United States and South Africa at Soldier Durr-USA TODAY Sports
Bird was asked about the mental side of being a player and learning to accept criticism and coaching from Auriemma, who is known for his fiercely competitive nature.
"Practices in college were harder than any game we had," recalled Bird." That margin of error. (Auriemma) throws adult tantrums if you miss a lay-up. You're going to miss shots, you're going to miss shots. But that reaction forces you to tighten up, to focus more.
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"It's a work in progress. It takes time, it takes years, it takes maturity. You figure out, if I can beat him in this practice, I can go out in any game or any stage; nothing's going to faze me. Once you believe that, you get excited to go to practice.
Johnson is coming off her junior season at LSU. Last year, she averaged 18.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 steals. The Tigers finished 31-6 and reached the Elite 8 before losing to the UCLA Bruins, who would go on to win the national championship.
On April 23, Johnson announced she would return to LSU for her senior season. The Tigers are ranked No. 5 in ESPN's way-too-early rankings released last week.
After her 2002 season with the Huskies, Bird was the Naismith and AP College Player of the Year. The Seattle Storm selected her with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft.
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Bird has been engaged to Megan Rapinoe, the decorated women's soccer star, since October 2020.
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