2024 WNBA DPOY Napheesa Collier hilariously reveals Coach Geno's damning take on her defense at UConn: "The cone defended better"

Napheesa Collier hilariously reveals Coach Geno’s damning take on her defense. (Photos: IMAGN)

Reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier recounted what UConn coach Geno Auriemma once said about her defense on Wednesday. Collier played under Auriemma from 2015 to 2019, winning an NCAA championship in 2016. However, it seems Auriemma was not always a fan of her defense.

Speaking to ESPN during UConn’s game against Farleigh Dickinson on Wednesday night, Collier shared her favorite Coach Geno moment. She remembered being criticized for her defense at practice.

“I think my favorite Coach Geno moment, I think would be in practice when he said there’s a cone on the floor and the cone defended better than I could defend,” Collier said. “That was a humbling experience.”

Napheesa Collier evidently learned from the experience since she turned into one of the best defensive players later in her college career at UConn. Collier was the AAC Defensive Player of the Year in her final season with the Huskies in 2019.

It translated to the WNBA when she was named to the All-Defensive Second Team as a second-year player in 2020. She received another All-Defensive Second Team nod in 2023 and took home the 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Collier was in attendance on Wednesday night to witness coach Geno Auriemma become the winningest NCAA coach in history with 1,217 wins. Auriemma broke the tie with Tara VanDerveer following an impressive 85-41 win over the Farleigh Dickinson Knights at the jam-packed Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.

In addition to the Minnesota Lynx star, Tiffany Hayes of the Las Vegas Aces was also present in the crowd. ESPN asked her about her favorite Coach Geno moment, and this was her answer:

“One of my favorite Coach Geno moments was (when) coach found out that I needed contacts and my eyes are not like even. So he was like, ‘No wonder you missed so many shots because you can’t really see that well.'”

Hayes was in UConn from 2008 to 2012, winning two NCAA championships in 2009 and 2010. Some of her teammates in those teams include Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Renee Montgomery and Kalana Greene.

Napheesa Collier praises coach Geno Auriemma and assistant Chris Dailey

Napheesa Collier praises coach Geno Auriemma and assistant Chris Dailey. (Photo: GETTY)

While Geno Auriemma will get most of the credit for his record-breaking number of wins, assistant coach Chris Dailey has been on his side since 1988. The coaching duo won 11 NCAA championships together and both were honored by UConn after their win on Wednesday.

Napheesa Collier spoke during SNY’s broadcast and praised both Auriemma and Dailey for their contributions to her game.

“It’s so cool to see just the love that they’ve been given, that the culture that they’ve been able to bring up in all these years, and to see how many people come back to support them as a testament to who they are,” Collier said.

Auriemma is looking to bring UConn their first NCAA championship in 2016. He has a shot with players such as Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd on his roster this season.

News

From Hope to Chaos: The Sens Fall Behind 0–2 Against the Canes as Brady Tkachuk Raises Serious Allegations, Calling for a Full Investigation Into the Game

The Ottawa Senators have found themselves in an early hole, trailing 0–2 in their playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes—and tensions are already running high. What was expected to be a tightly contested matchup has quickly turned into a frustrating…

The Trump administration will require all 50 states to explain their plans to revalidate some of their Medicaid providers in a national escalation of anti-fraud efforts that have so far largely focused on specific states.

The Trump administration will require all 50 states to explain their plans to revalidate some of their Medicaid providers in a national escalation of anti-fraud efforts that have so far largely focused on specific states. Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for…

Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl says quiet part out loud about triumphant injury return vs. Ducks

Leon Draisaitl to return from injury for Game 1 vs. Ducks as Oilers’ playoff run begins Draisaitl was hurt during a game on March 15 and missed the rest of the regular season Edmonton Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl (29) in…

Sebastian Aho (20) of the Carolina Hurricanes scores a goal on an assist from Jordan Staal #11 during the second period of Game Two of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against Linus Ullmark (35) of the Ottawa Senators at Lenovo Center on April 20, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. PHOTO BY JARED C. TILTON /GETTY IMAGES Jordan Martinook scored with 6:51 left in double-overtime to give secure a 3-2 victory for the Hurricanes to take a 2-0 series lead on the Senators with the series shifting back to Ottawa for Game 3 on Thursday. “He’s been playing unbelievable. He’s been making massive saves in big moments, and we can do a better job in front of him,” said centre Dylan Cozens, who scored in regulation along with Drake Batherson. Talk about drama. Jordan Martinook was stopped on a penalty shot he was rewarded with three minutes left in the first OT. This was one of the strangest sequences we’ve seen, which is what makes the playoffs great. Mark Jankowski fired it home with 2:42 left in overtime, but the officials went upstairs to look to see if the play was offside. It’s automatically reviewed, and it was ruled no goal which ruined the celebration in Raleigh. The league felt Jordan Staal wasn’t in control of the puck when he crossed the blueline. “That’s the toughest thing. You have it won, and then it gets turned over. I give the guys a ton of credit because our game didn’t change. We actually got better,” said Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour. A victory in Game 2 was paramount for the Senators. The franchise has never won a series falling behind 2-0, including last spring against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and that’s happened 10 times in the past. During their run to the playoffs, the Senators were effective because they limited the scoring chances and won battles for pucks. The way the Canes play has made it difficult for Ottawa to repeat that success. This series is a hard, physical battle. The Senators have to be willing pay the price to create chances. Ottawa did a much better job of that in the third period by pushing the pace. The third period was frantic with both teams not trying to allow this game to get to overtime, but the Senators were the better team. If not for Ullmark, this game wouldn’t be close. Tied 2-2 after 40 minutes, he was the only reason they were in it. The Senators were outshot 30-16, and he made several highlight reel stops in that stretch. The Senators just weren’t very good until they got back to their game in the third and used their speed to pressure the Hurricanes. Ullmark, who had 27 stops in Game 1, came into this game with a 0-3-0 career playoff record against the Hurricanes with a 3.49 goals-against average and .884 save percentage. He was the Senators’ best player in the first game, and by far the top performer in this one. Ullmark made some big saves when it was 2-0 that gave the club some momentum. “We talked about creating more chances, and I thought we took some chances that we don’t normally take,” said coach Travis Green. “Our forwards were diving the way they don’t usually dive down, and we gave up more chances than we normally do. “Linus kept us in there and made some big saves, especially in the second period. I really liked our game after that. I felt like they controlled the first half of the game, and I thought we controlled the last half.” Give the Senators credit because they battled back from a 2-0 deficit. Cozens tied it up 2-2 at 16:40 of the second by firing the puck through Andersen’s five-hole. He’d want that one back. It took nearly five periods for the Senators to solve Andersen. Working down low, Batherson attempted a pass that bounced back to him and then beat Andersen high at 10:47 of the second to get Ottawa on the board.It was only the seventh time in franchise history that the Senators have come back from a two-goal deficit to tie a game. That gave the Senators a much-needed boost of energy because they were feeling nothing but frustration, especially after Andersen shut them out with 22 stops in Game 1. A terrible turnover by Stutzle on a powerplay allowed the Hurricanes to pull out to a 2-0 lead at 7:50 of the second. He tried to do it all himself, which resulted in a turnover that set up a 2-on-1. Sebastian Aho took a pass from Jordan Staal and chipped it home for a shorthanded effort. The Senators were down 2-0 to the Leafs last spring. “We felt the same way last year, we were down 2-0, and we were excited going home,” said Batherson. “It’s nice to get a couple of days to get ready for Game 3 in front of our fans.” Senators shaking their heads Trailing 1-0 after the first, it was fair to wonder if the Senators were ever going to beat Andersen. Tkachuk had a glorious opportunity that bounced off the post, and then Fabian Zetterlund couldn’t put it home late. The shots were 14-9 for the Hurricanes; the Senators went 0-for-2 with the man advantage. The Canes opened the scoring at 6:31 on the powerplay. With Tkachuk in the box, Stankoven picked up his third point of this series by taking a pass from Taylor Hall and firing a blast by Ullmark. That was unfortunate because the Senators missed on two glorious chances to take the lead. First, Tim Stutzle missed a wide-open net, and then Shane Pinto had a sure goal pulled off the line.

Jordan Martinook scored with 6:51 left in double-overtime to give secure a 3-2 victory for the Hurricanes to take a 2-0 series lead on the Senators with the series shifting back to Ottawa for Game 3 on Thursday. “He’s been…

They Burned Her Books and Cast Her Out — She Built an Underground Bakery That Fed Three Villages

They Burned Her Books and Threw Her Out — She Built an Underground Bakery That Fed Three Villages The fire was still smoldering in the yard when 14-year-old Kora Whitfield was shoved through the front door of her aunt Lenor’s…

The Day the Dining Hall Fell Silent: A Sergeant’s Crimes, a Sister’s Mission, and the Moment Justice Walked In

The Day the Dining Hall Fell Silent: A Sergeant’s Crimes, a Sister’s Mission, and the Moment Justice Walked In The words didn’t just land—they detonated. “The sister of the first man he killed.” For a second, no one moved. The…

End of content

No more pages to load