Having coached in the league for four decades, it's about time Geno Auriemma's former students are coaching teams. And the UConn leader has words for one such former player: Shea Ralph.

“She's not quite Curt Cignetti yet. But to go down there and do what she's done in such a short period of time, I think, is really cool”, the UConn coach said.

Ralph has played under Auriemma from 1996 to 2001. And later worked as an assistant coach under him from 2008 to 2021, including their four-season championship-winning streak, before joining the Commodores.

The Commodores are No. 5 ranked this season, the program's highest position in 19 years. And they just secured a 72-69 win over the Michigan Wolverines. This leads them to a 19-0 winning streak, undefeated against the other NCAA big names.

Her training under the UConn coach has clearly paid off.
Mikayla Blakes scored 14 points and 4 assists against the Wolverines. Whereas, Aubrey Galvan racked up 20 points. The team has managed an overall 42 FG%.

“It’s not easy to do what she's done. And she's so detail-oriented, competitive in so many ways. She's a great teacher”, he said.

The respect goes both ways. Back in November 2024, Ralph talked about her former coach when he achieved his NCAA winning record.

"Coach Auriemma was the most honest with me that any coach had ever been," Ralph said Wednesday. "And I think that's molded not only me as a player, but the opportunity to play there for him changed my life..."

UConn Coach on Commodores’ Coaching Staff

However, Ralph isn’t the only key figure on Vanderbilt's staff.
Auriemma had already supported Ralph’s decision to join the Commodores. During the conference, he named several staff members who are shaping the team's success.

“They've got a great staff, she's got her husband on the staff, Tom. She's got Kaili McLaren, Kevin DeMill from our staff is down there. So, I'm really happy for all of them”, he added, “I'm thrilled for her, and I'm excited to see who they play next.”

The Commodores are going up against Dawn Staley’s squad on January 26. The Gamecocks are currently the No. 2 in the AP poll. The pressure will be on Auriemma's former student as she takes on her teacher's long-standing rival.

How will the Staley-Ralph showdown look? Let us know in the comments!

Written by

Deblina Roy

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar