Mentor vs. Protégé: Ralph’s Vanderbilt to Battle Auriemma’s UConn in Two-Year Series
Shea Ralph vs. Geno Auriemma
Today, a huge scheduling commitment was announced between Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball and UConn. This will bring Coach Shea Ralph and Coach Geno Auriemma head to head in a home and home series for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons.
UConn will host the first game in Storrs, Connecticut, on November 14, 2027. Then on November 19, 2028, Vanderbilt will host at Memorial Gymnasium. Game times and broadcast information to be announced at a later date.
Coach Shea Ralph played for Geno Auriemma at UConn from 1996 to 2001, including a medical redshirt year. Ralph was a baller for the Huskies and was a captain on the 2000 National Championship team. That year she earned the Big East Player of the Year, the MVP of the Final Four, Sports Illustrated for Women Player of the Year, the Honda Award, and was an All-American.
Ralph was then an assistant at UConn from 2008 to 2021, until she left to become the Vanderbilt women’s basketball head coach ahead of the 2021-22 season. This series will mark Ralph’s first time facing the Huskies as a head coach.
“I am so excited for this opportunity to compete against UConn and to return to the place where this journey began for me,” said Ralph, who is in her fifth season as head coach at Vanderbilt. “It will be special to see the fans, coaches, administrators, teammates and friends who have been part of my journey. Our mission at Vanderbilt is to compete for championships and this series will serve as another opportunity to prepare us for those goals.” Via Vanderbilt Athletics
This is an exciting time for Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball and fans, as the Commodores are a Top 5 ranked team in this country and only one of two left undefeated at 19-0, the other being Auriemma’s UConn Huskies. Vanderbilt is set to host the Auburn Tigers on Thursday, January 22 at 6:30 PM CT on SEC Network+.
Featured Image Credit: Jessica Hill | AP
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