Geno Auriemma is absent from the 2026 WNBA Draft to attend the funeral of Peggy Myers' husband, Norm Myers, who passed away from brain cancer. UConn assistant coach Morgan Valley will represent the team at the draft.
If you're watching this year's WNBA Draft in New York City, you might notice a notable coach not in attendance.
UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma is not attending Monday night's draft as he attends the funeral for the husband of UConn program assistant and former player Peggy Myers, per ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
Norm Myers died from brain cancer last month, per Philippou. UConn assistant coach Morgan Valley will attend the draft to represent the school and cheer its players on who get drafted to WNBA teams.
It's an incredibly sad occasion for Auriemma's absence, but an incredibly understandable reason to miss the draft festivities, too.
We're sure Auriemma will be back next year.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why isn't Geno Auriemma at the 2026 WNBA Draft?
Geno Auriemma is attending the funeral of Norm Myers, the husband of UConn program assistant Peggy Myers, who died from brain cancer.
UConn assistant coach Morgan Valley is attending the draft to represent the school and support the players being drafted.
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