Geno Auriemma to step away from UConn to focus on health

UConn women’s basketball will be without head coach Geno Auriemma for the second straight game on Thursday night. The team announced he will not coach at Xavier and will rejoin the team at a later date.

“It’s been an extremely difficult month for me, and I’ve been feeling under the weather and run down,” Auriemma said in a release. “I thought I was ready to return, but I need a little more time. I’m going to take a step back to focus on my health and will return when I feel ready.”

In his place, associate head coach Chris Dailey will take over the team. She’s 16-0 as acting head coach and has led the Huskies for three games this season.

Auriemma missed UConn’s wins over Florida State and Seton Hall due to flu-like symptoms, though both those contests also came shortly after the death of his mother, Marsiella. Auriemma returned following the Huskies’ winter break and coached the squad against Creighton and DePaul but missed out at Butler in their most recent action after feeling unwell pregame.

UConn will face Xavier on the road tonight at 7 p.m. ET on SNY.