In WNBA broadcast return, Geno Auriemma lauds rival Notre Dame alum Jessica Shepard as 'best player' on court

On Tuesday night, UConn coach Geno Auriemma joined Robin Roberts and Beth Mowins to commentate the game between the Dallas Wings and the New York Liberty on ESPN. It was a reunion three decades in the making -- Auriemma and Roberts served as a broadcast team during the WNBA's first season and called the very first WNBA game on ESPN, which took place on June 23, 1997.

Auriemma's return was timed to celebrate the 30th season of the WNBA and to give him a chance to call a game that featured the three most recent No. 1 WNBA draft picks from UConn -- Azzi Fudd (2026) and Paige Bueckers (2025) of the Wings and Breanna Stewart (2016) of the Liberty. There was a lot of pre-game intrigue around what the legend would say about his former players on the air. 

But surprisingly, it was his comments about a player from one of UConn's biggest rivals that turned the most heads.

While Stewart had 29 points, nine rebounds and four assists for the Liberty and Bueckers and Fudd had 15 and 12 points, respectively, to help fuel the Wings to the 88-77 victory, Wings forward Jessica Shepard stole the show, registering her third triple- double of the season with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

The Notre Dame alum is still the only player to register a triple-double this season. This was also the fourth of her career, tying Sabrina Ionescu for second-most triple-doubles in WNBA history behind Alyssa Thomas. Her performance was so good it forced Auriemma to admit she was the best player on the court. 

"Take my temperature," Auriemma joked.

"I'm here singing the praises of a Notre Dame kid," he said on Sports Center. "She was unbelievable. It was worth it just to watch her play tonight."

Dallas has now won five out of its last seven matchups, and Auriemma identified Shepard as a key part of that success. She leads the team in rebounds while being second in scoring behind Bueckers. Shepard grew up playing point guard, and those skills have been useful to her as a WNBA forward.

"She's as good as any player in the league," he said. "There is a difference between the best player on the team, or the best player in the league, or the most important player in the league. Jessica Shepard might be the most important player in the league right now."

Here are some other fun moments and insights from Auriemma's night on the mic.

The UConn vs. Notre Dame rivalry

The history between UConn and Notre Dame women's basketball makes Auriemma's comments noteworthy -- especially with the specific players who were on the court Tuesday night. 

The two programs have met in the Final Four six times and twice in the National Championship game. One of the most memorable of those meetings was during the 2018 Final Four, with Shepard being part of the roster that knocked out UConn 91-89 in overtime. She had 15 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in that game. Auriemma recalled a specific play in which Shepard outsmarted him by messing up the game plan he gave his player Gabby Williams, who now plays for the Valkyries.

"'Gabby Williams, you are being guarded by Jessica Shepard,'" he recalled saying. "'I want you to flash to the foul line. She's going to try to guard you. You are going to go back door, throw it up....' Jessica doesn't move an inch and Gabby catches it and kind of rushed a shot. Jessica fooled me. She was smarter than me on that play."

The lore doesn't end there. Also part of that 2018 Notre Dame roster? Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale, who had 27 points that night, including the game-winning shot for the Fighting Irish.

Notably, Ogunbowale and Auriemma didn't get along for decades. The issues seemingly started when, as a high school recruit, Ogunbowale tweeted her top five college programs and left UConn out. However, Ogunbowale said the beef was officially over when she dapped up Auriemma after he attended a Wings game last summer.

For the record, Tuesday was not the first time Auriemma put aside her love for UConn and praised a Notre Dame player. Just this past season, he called rising senior Hannah Hidalgo the best point guard in the nation, a "once in a lifetime" player and the Lawrence Taylor of basketball.

Azzi Fudd adjusting well

Despite being the No. 1 draft pick, Fudd started her WNBA career on the bench. She earned her spot in the Dallas starting lineup after six games and has been a key part of the roster as one of the Wings' top scorers and the leader in steals.

Fudd, who scored 12 points on Tuesday, had a slower start to her WNBA career compared to Bueckers or Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark -- the two most recent Rookie of the Year winners. However, her former coach is not concerned.

"It takes a little bit of time," Auriemma said. "And there is so much pressure on the No. 1 pick. No matter who it is, no matter what year. People expect you to come in and immediately transform the franchise. It's just not that easy. You have to learn that there is a difference between professional basketball and college basketball. And it just takes a little time. For some people it takes half a year. For some a full year. For some a month. You never quite know when it is."

Fudd was known as the "princess" at UConn, but despite the nickname, Auriemma said she has been one of the hardest-working players he has ever coached. 

"She's adjusted tremendously, and you know what? Her work ethic is second to none," he said. "There are very few people I've ever coached that work harder than Azzi Fudd. That are more meticulous, that are more prepared -- mentally, her body, everything. She has a routine, she stays with it and it's the same every single day."

Auriemma sees potential in Dallas

The Wings tied the Chicago Sky for the worst record in the league at 10-34 overall last season, but things are already looking a lot better in 2026. Their result against the Liberty was their third consecutive victory and helped them improve to 14-8 overall. 

Besides the usual suspects, another Dallas standout was Awak Kuier, who flirted with a triple-double in just her eighth start of the season. She had 10 points while going 3 of 4 from beyond the arc along with 12 rebounds and seven assists, both career bests. As if that wasn't enough, she also had three blocks.

The Wings have missed the playoffs two years in a row, but this year Auriemma expects them to return and make some noise.

"They just have so many playmakers on the floor at the same time and they get great bench production," he said. "That is a dangerous team. I don't know that anybody is going to want to play them in the playoffs."