Geno Auriemma named US Olympic Committee Co-National Coach of the Year

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 20: Brittney Griner
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 20: Brittney Griner /
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USA women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma (you may have heard of him) has been named the US Olympic Committee’s co-National Coach of the Year.

Auriemma shares the honor with Aimee Boorman of USA Gymnastics.

Auriemma claimed the award after his final Summer Olympics at the helm —a dominant showing in which his team swept through the schedule and captured the gold medal with a win over Spain in the final.

In Rio, Auriemma also became the first USA women’s basketball coach to lead the national team to the gold in back-to-back Olympics. He went 73-9 all-time as USA head coach.

This marks the second time that a USA women’s basketball coach has been named Coach of the Year. Tara VanDerveer did it in 1996 after leading the team to a perfect 60-0 record and the gold medal at the summer games in Atlanta.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley officially replaced Auriemma as the USA women’s basketball coach in March, shortly before leading the Gamecocks to the National Championship.