Nika Mühl, UConn coach Geno Auriemma share emotional goodbye as she heads to WNBA
It is no secret that the landscape of college athletics is in a period of drastic change. Three years after the NCAA's name, image and likeness (NIL) policy went into effect, college sports continue to inch closer and closer to a professional model.
Fans have regularly voiced their displeasure with these changes, but as college athletics continues to evolve, one thing remains the same: passion.
That passion was on full display in a recent video posted by UConn's women's basketball program, which features an emotional interaction between Huskies Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma and Nika Mühl, who was a four-year starting point guard for the Huskies and recently selected by the Seattle Storm with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Before leaving Storrs, Connecticut, to head to Seattle for training camp, Mühl made it a point to stop by Auriemma's office to say goodbye. The two share an emotional, heartfelt exchange, as you can see how much Auriemma meant to Mühl during her time at UConn.
"I just, thank you … you changed my life," Mühl says to Auriemma while attempting to hold back tears. "Your impact … I don't think you're aware of it. To an extent you are, but you impacted so many people around me, including me. There [has] never been a single person like you and there never will be in the world. I hope you know how unique you are and how special you are."
Auriemma, who has led UConn to 11 NCAA Division I national championships, which is the most in women's college basketball history, was quick to react with a witty response.
"Are you describing yourself?" Auriemma asked Mühl. "Are you talking about you right now?"
Mühl certainly left her mark at the University of Connecticut, being named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons (2022, '23) and leaving as the program's all-time leader in career assists. She was named an AP All-America Honorable Mention this past season, as well as second-team All-Big East.
The video, which was filmed by UConn's video team, further proves the mutual respect Auriemma and Mühl have for one another and the player-coach bond they formed over the past four years.
"You're just legendary, but not just as a coach, like, to me, you're legendary as a person" an emotional Mühl says to Auriemma. "And I'll cherish that forever."
Before Mühl left Auriemma's office, the Hall of Fame coach made it a point to tell his former point guard just how much she meant to him and UConn women's basketball.
"I don't think anybody here will ever forget you," Auriemma said. "You won't let them – you'll be back a lot."
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