FORT WORTH, Texas — Very rarely does Geno Auriemma break character on the court.
The 72-year-old Hall of Fame head coach is known for his loud, angry and sometimes brazen sideline screams of frustration.
So whenever he does drop his shoulders and let loose, everyone pays attention — and often joins in.
Standing in a pile of confetti Sunday afternoon in Fort Worth, Auiremma danced, pranced and giddyupped with a large white cowboy hat atop his head. He shook his shoulders, smiled and laughed as his UConn women’s basketball team joined in, egging him on and dancing alongside the Huskies’ coach.
“I loved the dance moves,” Azzi Fudd said of Auriemma’s antics. “ …When he is dancing, that is when you know he is happy, he is in a good mood, and he is proud. So seeing that puts a cherry on top.”
Inside Dickies Arena on Sunday, all arena staff and security wore cowboy hats — a nod to not only the host state of Texas but the arena itself, which was built in 2015 for the purpose of hosting rodeo-like events such as the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo — the oldest continuously running livestock show and rodeo (since 1986).
The Fort Worth Regional staff gifted UConn a cream-colored cowboy hat with blue and white ribbons tied around the hatband and a branded Husky logo on the front.
Auriemma and the Huskies took turns wearing the hat during their celebration following an Elite Eight win over rival Notre Dame. Some pretended to toss an imaginary lasso while others pretended to giddyup and prance as if riding a horse.
“I thought that the cowboy hat looked pretty good on him. It looked pretty natural,” said Fudd.
Freshman Gandy Malou-Mamel placed the hat on Auriemma’s head after his postgame address to the fans. KK Arnold secured it and made sure it was facing the right direction. The Hall of Famer then proceeded to lean into the theme and start dancing.
“Seeing him excited and kind of goofy is really good for us, because he’s not usually like that,” said Sarah Strong. “He’s usually all serious or like anxious, grumpy. Just seeing him let loose and be his true self was really good.”
When asked to rate Auriemma’s dancing, freshman Blanca Quiñonez said, “I am going to say 7 out of 10. As a Latina, I know there is a lot of work to do. We have high standards.”