We’ve spent a good chunk of time either talking or thinking about who will succeed Mike Krzyzewski as the USA men’s national team coach after his seven-year run ended in London. It’s time to start thinking about who will guide the freight train of a USA women’s team now, too. Geno Auriemma, the Connecticut head coaching legend, has said he has “zero interest” in taking the job again, although the team’s governing body might still invite him to coach the 2014 World Championships. Is taking a job with a 41-game Olympic win streak too much pressure or little to none?
From the Hartford Courant:
“Right now, there is zero interest,” said Auriemma. “Everyone has their own reasons for doing things. I was honored and thrilled and glad I did it. I was ecstatic that I was able to experience it and I know how much I enjoyed coaching the perfect blend of players who listened to everything I said.
“I worked with a great bunch of people during my time, but if you were to ask me right now, today, I would say it’s someone else’s turn.”
Auriemma wants to focus on UConn and creating more players like the six former Huskies playing on the London Olympic team. So who coaches now? An obvious choice is Baylor’s Kim Mulkey. She’s younger and would have chemistry and familiarity with Brittney Griner and Odyssey Sims, who could each be lock choices for that year’s team. She also revealed last March she has Bell’s palsy, a condition that can cause half the body to be paralyzed; her face was noticeably altered during the tournament, looking stuck, because of the condition. It is, however, thankfully only a temporary condition.
If you didn’t catch it the first time, Auriemma had an analogy about the experience of possibly winning a second title.
“You know, my favorite ice cream is chocolate mint chip. I love it. But after the first bowl, you might no(t) love the second one as much.”
Who should coach the team?
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