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Kalan Hooks, ESPN
Wednesday night was mostly about UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma becoming the winningest coach in NCAA college basketball history.
After securing an 85-41 win over the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, Auriemma secured his 1,217th win to bypass former Stanford Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer, who has 1,216 to her name. But the achievement wouldn’t be possible without associate head coach Chris Dailey.
The night also served as a celebration of Dailey, who arrived at UConn in 1985, and her 40 seasons in Storrs alongside Auriemma. On every seat at Gampel Pavilion was a red shirt depicting the coaching duo.
Following the game, the Huskies paid a unique and hilarious tribute to Dailey in postgame activities. Each player wore a blonde wig, similar to the hairstyle of the associate head coach.
Honoring the legendary CD pic.twitter.com/ZvmwItR3gm
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) November 21, 2024
Guards Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, and forward Sarah Strong entered their postgame news conference with the wigs, trying their hardest to hold their composure.
Fudd said the idea to mimic Dailey’s look came from Bueckers, who finished the game with 16 points and nine rebounds.
“It was Paige’s idea. We had to get CD bobs to celebrate her today,” Fudd said.
When asked how Dailey reacted to the team recreating her hairstyle, Bueckers responded:
“She said ‘we ate’ but we didn’t eat as hard as she does.”
Sixty-three former UConn players were in attendance at Auriemma’s milestone night including Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi, Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier and Rebecca Lobo, who helped bring the Huskies their first national title in 1995.