Even UConn Coach Geno Auriemma is talking about LaVar Ball
There’s no escaping LaVar Ball.
Not even at a women’s NCAA tournament regional in Bridgeport, Conn.
On Friday, a day before top-seeded Connecticut and No. 4 seed UCLA meet in a regional semifinal, the topic of conversation turned to Ball, the outspoken father of UCLA men’s basketball guard Lonzo Ball.
UConn Coach Geno Auriemma, who recently became a viral sensation after discussing the type of player he recruits and the impact parents have on a child’s recruitment, was asked how LaVar Ball’s antics could influence the future behavior of parents.
“I don’t know Mr. Ball,” said Auriemma, whose team has won 109 consecutive games and is seeking a fifth consecutive NCAA title. “I enjoy watching his son play.
“…How many fathers have a kid that good? So he can do what he’s doing and get away with it, which is fine. I mean, he’s just being him, and the son is just being him.”
Auriemma said that he roots for Lonzo Ball, who is projected as a top-two pick in June’s NBA draft, because “he’s a hell of a player.”
“I wouldn’t want to be in [Lonzo Ball’s] situation,” Auriemma said. “I mean, I would next year when he signs, I’d want to be in his situation, but I wouldn’t want to be that guy that every time he meets somebody the first thing they talk about is his father.
“But that’s just me.”
Follow Lindsey Thiry on Facebook and Twitter @LindseyThiry
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