Geno Auriemma, UConn Agree to 5-Year, $18.7M Contract Extension; Highest-Paid WCBB HC

UConn announced Tuesday that women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma signed a five-year extension.

"I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to continue to work alongside Geno Auriemma and his staff to add to what is already the gold standard for success," athletic director David Benedict said. "Coach Auriemma has dedicated over half of his life to UConn and our women's basketball program and will undoubtably be known as one of the greatest collegiate coaches of all time.

"His presence, dedication and loyalty to this university and state is priceless and will be critical as we enter the most transformational period in college athletics in the past 40 years."

The school confirmed the contract, which ties Auriemma to the program through the 2028-29 season, is worth $18.7 million total and includes a base salary of $400,000 annually.

The Huskies are coming off yet another Final Four appearance, their 23rd since Auriemma arrived in 1985. Star guard Paige Bueckers is back for one more year, and UConn signed three of the top 11 players (Sarah Strong, Allie Ziebell and Morgan Cheli) in HoopGurlz's recruiting rankings for 2024.

The future in Storrs continues to look bright.

Between his age (70) and the rapidly evolving landscape of college athletics, though, some wondered how much longer Auriemma would stick around. Alabama's Nick Saban, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski are among the coaching titans who have walked away within the last few years.

Auriemma has made it clear he hasn't exactly loved the sweeping changes that have altered the athletic landscape, either.

He told the Associated Press' Dan Gelston his job now provides "a different kind of fun."

"It's so different, man. It's so, so different looking at it from a 40-year perspective," he said. "Right now, the beauty of coaching is trying to make them have a similar experience that those other players had. When you see it actually happening, it's really, really rewarding. It just doesn't happen enough."

The Hall of Famer added he liked how Villanova's Jay Wright chose to step down with little fanfare in 2022 on the heels of the Wildcats' Final Four run.

The AP interview left one with the impression Auriemma was staring down his coaching mortality. Instead, he clearly plans on working for the foreseeable future.