Copyright sportskeeda
USC Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley sparked fan drama with a subtle dig at Geno Auriemma on Wednesday. Staley dropped a cryptic comment towards the Huskies coach after UConn's Paige Bueckers' post on X (formerly Twitter). Staley appeared to take a swipe at Auriemma by sharing a tweet that subtly referenced UConn’s first NCAA championship in nearly a decade last season. "Oh I heard someone was trolling? Now that they got their swagger back. 🤣🤣🤣," she tweeted. Her reaction prompted a wave of response from fans, with USC faithful showing support for their coach. On the other hand, Huskies fans clapped back at Staley, claiming that UConn's Bueckers' post never referenced her. Staley’s tweet was in response to UConn’s post featuring Geno Auriemma and the NCAA trophy, which carried a caption with a double meaning. "We heard everyone was really excited about a coach photo shoot? Here you go," the caption read. UConn's caption was directed at Bueckers' visit to London during the weekend. The Dallas Wings star had visited the English capital for a photoshoot with the luxury brand Coach and spoke about the experience during her visit to North London’s soccer club, Arsenal. Fans were excited to see her picture from the "Coach" photoshoot and had been demanding it online. The Huskies’ account used that context to make a clever play on words during Geno’s photoshoot, a nuance that Staley appeared to miss. This prompted the Gamecocks' coach to take a subtle dig at Auriemma, sparking drama between the two fan bases. Geno Auriemma once highlighted a common factor between him and Dawn Staley Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley have long been fierce rivals, with their teams consistently battling for dominance on the court. The Gamecocks handed the Huskies only defeat in 2024 and Auriemma's team returned the favor last year by beating them in the NCAA Finals. However, despite their differences, the two coaches share a single connection: their love for the Philadelphia Eagles. Auriemma highlighted this common factor between them during an interview in August. "I’m a little older, you know. She is. So, I go back a lot further," Auriemma expressed. "It’s crazy to see how many, not just Dawn, but how many, Muffet McGraw (ex-Notre Dame coach), like how many coaches, have come out of this area." Auriemma and Staley share Pennsylvania roots, with the Huskies coach raised in Norristown and Staley growing up in Philadelphia.
