By Doug Weber

WESTPORT — Geno Auriemma, the University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach, came to the Westport Library Thursday as a guest of the Y’s Men of Westport/Weston.

In a discussion with Westport resident and ESPN journalist Jeremy Schaap, Auriemma commented on why Italy produces an inordinate amount of great coaches, the fun he had during his first few seasons at UConn and the new challenges contemporary college athletes face today.

“Italians learn empathy from their mothers,” Auriemma said. That empathy, he explained, is a leading factor in how he is able to develop his players. 

Arriving at UConn prior to the 1985-86 season, Auriemma took the women’s basketball  program — with only one winning season in its history — to its current status, with 11 NCAA championships, 22 Final Fours, six perfect seasons and 57 conference championships.

“My first few years at UConn were fun. Trying to build a team from nothing and seeing it develop was a lot of fun … Every day was an opportunity to do better”

College students dealing with social media is a new dynamic, he said. “The fear of failure,” of being criticized on social media, “is much greater than it was before,” he said. “The kids who are affected aren’t taking chances.”

And it is more than just the potential for criticism on social media that has changed for students. With texting and social media the default mode for engaging with friends, “simply teaching them how to communicate — to speak to each other — is the most important thing.”

Basketball is all about communicating, so if your teammates don’t talk to each other off the court, “they will have a hard time communicating” on the court.

According to the UConn Huskies web site, Geno’s players boast a perfect 100 percent graduation rate among four-year student-athletes — over 38 seasons. 

Y’s Man Baxter Urist asked Coach Auriemma, “How do you balance your players’ time between sports, academics and social?”

“It begins during recruiting,” Auriemma replied. If the student is not leading a balanced life before college, it is “hard to manage” later. 

While away from campus, students keep up with their work with help from the academic side. 

How do his players stay out of trouble and away from the scandal sheets? “You have to trust them,” Auriemma said.

According to Dewey Loselle, the president of the Y’s Men of Westport/Weston, “Because this was not an official recruiting event, UConn’s NCAA compliance department insisted that it be attended only by Y’s Men and their spouses.”

Doug Weber, the publisher of Westport Journal, is also the chairman of the Y’s Men of Westport/Weston’s Program Committee.