CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams-Parker voiced sharp criticism following a heated postgame verbal exchange between UConn head coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley after their 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four matchup.
In a statement shared on Facebook, McWilliams-Parker said she was “totally disappointed, not surprised and triggered” by what she described as continued public “disrespect” toward Black women in sports leadership roles. Her comments referenced Auriemma’s postgame actions and remarks about Staley, which came just moments after the Gamecocks beat UConn 62-48 on Friday night.
With 0.8 seconds remaining in regulation, both coaches were held back by assistants after an animated shouting match during the handshake at the end of the game.
Auriemma said postgame he was frustrated Staley did not shake his hand before the game. ESPN later showed pregame video of the two shaking hands before the game.
It was Auriemma’s hostility toward Staley and postgame comments that compelled McWilliams-Parker to react.
“You have nothing in common,” McWilliams-Parker wrote, directing her frustration toward Auriemma. “Both of you coach women’s basketball. She assisted you in the Olympics and has won national championships.
McWilliams-Parker, who has long championed representation for Black women within collegiate athletics, said the incident reflected deeper issues across the sport. “Take your losses and celebrate someone else’s win,” she urged. “You coach Black women, and now they get to see how you treat them when it doesn’t go your way.”
Calling for greater empathy and accountability, McWilliams-Parker added that her reaction mirrored the lived experiences of Black women. “Please don’t make excuses for him,” she wrote. “I hated to see it and to hear him speak about it with no remorse or empathy.”
Auriemma later apologized in a statement on Saturday, though he did not mention Staley by name.
“There’s no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina,” Auriemma said in the statement posted on X by ESPN on April 4. “It’s unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut. I want to apologize to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for in how I reacted.
“The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don’t want my actions to detract from that. I’ve had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them.”
