Winning against a former mentor is always a special feat, but when that mentor is Geno Auriemma, the ceiling immediately rises. Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph is the latest one to experience it after she won a major annual honor over her former head coach. But for now, fans aren’t quite buying into it.

Ralph recently won the Naismith Women’s National Coach of the Year award, beating out Auriemma, Vic Schaefer, and Cori Close. Notably, Ralph was presented with the award in the presence of the UConn head coach, who gave a warm standing ovation to his former player and assistant coach. Vanderbilt writer Alaina Morris shared a glimpse of this heartfelt moment on her X handle.

This National honor was one of the many accolades for Ralph this season. She has earlier won National Coach of the Year awards from USBWA, ESPN, etc. On top of that, Ralph is also the second head coach in the program’s history, after Jim Foster, to win this major award.

“I am honored and grateful to be recognized as the 2026 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year,” Ralph said. “This award is so much bigger than me. Great players make great coaches, and I am incredibly blessed to get to coach great players on my team.”

Under Ralph, the Commodores had one of the best seasons in recent times. The team went 29-5 overall in the season, including their March Madness Sweet 16 loss to Notre Dame. Despite being short of titles, the record reflects the Commodores’ dominant season. But fans feel there were more worthy candidates like Auriemma for this major honor.

Fans Point to Other Suitable Candidates After Shea Ralph Wins Honor

“Geno robbed but ok,” a fan wrote. 

“How is not geno?? 😂😂” commented another. 

Several fans, including these, feel that Geno Auriemma should have been the one on stage receiving his ninth Naismith National Coach of the Year Award. And the perspective can’t be ignored, though. The UConn head coach is guiding his team to yet another unbeaten year this season. Meanwhile, they have already won the Big East regular season and the conference title, and are perfectly in line to go back-to-back at the March Madness.

These achievements with UConn, of course, make Auriemma a perfect candidate to win the award for the first time since 2017. But it should be understood that the voting panel for the award doesn’t just reflect a team’s performance; sometimes, storylines matter too. And Ralph’s team perfectly stands out in this regard. The Commodores were never expected to be as dominant as they have been this season, especially with just one star returning to the program in Mikayla Blakes.

Yes, they have been immensely good since Ralph came to the scene in 2021. But they were never a team that would have absolutely dominated SEC play, as they did this year, going 13-3 and a perfect 16-0 overall at home. Unfortunately, Ralph doesn’t have a trophy to boast about this season like Auriemma, but the superb turnaround job the former has led for the Commodores might be one of the compounding factors going in Ralph’s favor for the award.

“South Carolina is going to their 6th final four in a row. With 1 returning starter, injury-riddled, 7 players available to play at one point. And Dawn Staley isn’t a finalist for the Coach of the Year!! NOTED ONCE AGAIN! ! !” wrote another.

Similar to Auriemma, Dawn Staley is another name who stands out in this debate. Staley led South Carolina to an SEC regular-season title and an SEC tournament runner-up this season. Moreover, the Gamecocks are still competing in the final week of March Madness, unlike the Commodores. Furthermore, Staley achieved all of this with the Gamecocks despite being short-handed for most of the season.

Injuries to key players, such as Agot Makeer, severely limited the squad’s rotation, which strengthens Staley’s case. But to everyone’s surprise, Staley wasn’t even considered among the finalists for the award.

“Ugh I’m so proud of her. Needed this today after the news about Nika. If there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about battling with ACLs, it’s Shea. So deserved, Coach,” commented another.

“Another Husky gets another award, congrats coach Ralph,” chimed in another. 

Yet despite the arguments, it can’t be ignored that Ralph is one of the most charismatic coaches of this era. The effort she has put into Vanderbilt speaks for itself. For instance, Ralph has guided a team from making zero March Madness appearances over 10 years to making 3 back-to-back appearances since 2024. But none of it came without its fair share of hardships.

Following her collegiate career with UConn, Ralph had the perfect opportunity to transition to the WNBA. She was drafted as the 40th overall pick in the third round by the Utah Starzz. But persistent struggles with ACL injuries forced her to abandon her WNBA dreams and pursue a coaching career.

Thus, after such a tumultuous journey, it’s quite fair that Shea Ralph receives the flowers she deserves from the community. And finally getting it in front of her former coach, Geno Auriemma, is truly a career-defining moment for Ralph.

All in all, this isn’t just yet another honor for a head coach. It’s a source of inspiration for players who are consistently dealing with injuries, like the latest one, being Nika Muhl, who is set to miss her second consecutive WNBA season due to an ACL injury, similar to Ralph.