On a regular day, UConn beating Fairleigh Dickinson by 44 points wouldn't be talked about across the nation. There wouldn't be over 60 former players gathered in Gampel Pavilion.

But this wasn't just a regular game on a regular day. This was different, history was being made.

As the buzzer sounded on November 20, 2024, Geno Auriemma recorded his 1,217th career win, crowning him the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history.

40 years ago, Auriemma took the helm of the program and transformed it into what it is today.

During his tenure, he has coached 160 players, including Shea Ralph.

Ralph grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Her mother, Marsha Lake, played basketball at the University of North Carolina.

Prior to women's basketball making its way into the Olympics in 1976, female basketball players competed in the World University Games. Lake competed in the games with one of her closest friends, Pat Summitt. The duo even took home a silver medal.

With the combination of Lake and Summitt, everyone thought that Ralph was destined to be a Tar Heel or a Lady Vol, but then the Huskies came calling.

"There was something about my conversations with Coach Aureimma," said Ralph. "I think everyone thought I was going to go to Tennessee or North Carolina because of my mom and the history there."

When decision time came, it was easier for her than people had expected. The USA Today National High School Player of the Year out of Terry Sanford High School was headed to UConn.

"It wasn't even a hard decision. Coach Auriemma was the most honest with me that any coach had ever been," Ralph stated. "I think that's molded not only me as a player, but the opportunity to play there for him changed my life. I needed somebody to be as hard on me as he was, to teach me how to be great, to show me how to be resilient, to show me how to be a team player, because I was very selfish and stubborn as a young kid, and I had a lot that I needed to learn."

The North Carolina native arrived in Storrs, Connecticut, in 1996. During her time as a Husky, Ralph compiled one of the best resumes in UConn history.

She started and helped her team win the 2000 National Championship, earning Final Four MVP with 15 points, five rebounds, and two steals in the victory over Tennessee.

That season, Ralph received a plethora of accolades. The guard was awarded the Honda Sports Award, given to the best player in women's college basketball.

She also received Big East Player of the Year honors, was a First Team All-American and was a member of the First Team All-Big East.

After college, Ralph was drafted in the third round of the WNBA draft to the Utah Starzz. Due to numerous knee injuries, her career as a pro never got started. That is when coaching became her calling.

Ralph spent time with the University of Pittsburgh from 2003-2008 as an assistant, but then headed back to her roots, Storrs, Connecticut.

She joined Auriemma’s staff in 2008 and spent 13 seasons there, reaching the Final Four every year and winning six NCAA Championships.

This type of success wasn't out of the ordinary. In fact, Final Fours were a program pitch.

"One of the recruiting pitches [he's used] since 1988, every player that has gone to UConn has been to at least one Final Four. C'mon," she said with a smile. "Think about that for a second. How can you not celebrate that?"

In 2021, Ralph left the Huskies to acquire her first head coaching job at Vanderbilt.

In her fourth season leading the Commodores, she’s been able to apply what she learned under Auriemma.

"The cool thing for me was that I got to peek behind the curtain for almost 20 years. People talk about it being a machine and all that. Yeah, it is. But those people care, and they get the best out of their players" Ralph stated. "They have people that come in, coaches and staff members, year in and year out, that just are really special. And for them to do what they've done is a testament to great leadership, great work ethic. And say what you want to say, but he's the best coach in the history of our game."

Shea Ralph played a role in 626 of Auriemma's wins, an experience that helped shape her as a coach. Now, she’s focused on achieving her own goals as the leader of her own team.

"626 at Vanderbilt, let's aim for that."