Should Geno Auriemma go out on top?

Geno Auriemma completed his 40th season as the UConn women’s basketball coach by winning an astonishing 12th national championship. This title gives Auriemma a 12-1 all-time record in national championship games, adding to his record-breaking career.

This was the Huskies' first national championship in nine years, which is uncanny given that UConn had won 10 titles between 2000 and 2016.

So the question remains, should Auriemma retire on top with another championship under his belt, or stick around for a few more years and rebuild the Huskies dynasty?

Auriemma is the winningest coach in all of college basketball, with a 1,250-165 record. Of the coaches in the top 15, Auriemma is the only one who’s still active, so this record isn’t in jeopardy anytime soon.

Auriemma’s 12 title wins are another record that isn’t likely to get broken anytime soon. The only other active coaches with multiple championships are Kim Mulkey with four and Dawn Staley with three.

All signs point to the 71-year-old leaving his legacy in Storrs on a high note, especially since there’s nearly a decade between titles 11 and 12.

However, it isn’t this simple, with players like National Freshman of the Year Sarah Strong and NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Azzi Fudd returning to UConn, Auriemma has a chance to start a brand new dynasty.

Another thing to consider is Auriemma’s statistics when it comes to winning titles in consecutive years. In seven of the years that UConn won the national championship, they went on to repeat the next season.

After winning his third title in 2002, a team that featured Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, Auriemma and the Huskies would then go on to claim the next two national championships.

Auriemma and UConn took a brief national title game hiatus before returning to the top of the mountain to claim back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.

Then in 2013, Auriemma returned to glory, led by freshman Breanna Stewart. This was the start of a four-peat, in which Stewart took home NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player all four years.

If you had told someone in 2016 that the Huskies wouldn’t take home the trophy again for another nine years, they probably would’ve laughed and called you crazy.

Could a gap like this happen again? Sure, but if we’re talking history, then Auriemma has a solid chance of earning his 13th title in 2026.

However, the women’s college basketball landscape isn’t the same as it used to be. The nine years between Auriemma’s last two titles saw lots of parity and new teams on the rise.

That being said, it’ll be much harder for the Huskies to repeat than it has been in the past. This is exactly why Auriemma has the perfect opportunity to hang it up with pretty much nothing left to prove.

Another consideration for retirement is that Auriemma is graduating one of this generation's best players, Paige Bueckers. Many have argued that Bueckers is a top-five UConn Husky of all-time and the best to wear the uniform since Stewart.

All in all, this season had all the pieces to make a perfect ending to Auriemma’s career. From becoming the winningest coach in college basketball to helping complete the career of a legendary player and finishing with the ultimate reward.

In 40 seasons, Auriemma has proved that UConn is the gold standard and that he’ll go down as the most decorated head coach of all time.

There may be no other time more perfect than the present for Auriemma to ride off into the sunset and leave Storrs and women’s basketball in a much better place than he found it.

Only time will tell if Auriemma makes the decision to leave, but no matter what, Year 40 of his career is one that’ll be remembered for a long time.

Gianna Dowling is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email gmd5738@psu.edu.