If you’ve been around UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, you know he can be quite witty or even sarcastic at times.

Whether it be yesterday when he made a joke about Kia Nurse knowing more about the Yukon then UConn as a kid or saying Breanna Stewart wasn’t the best player in the country during the Albany Regional, he does it because he cares.

The UConn women’s basketball coach does it to motivate his players or even shield his players.

The joke about Nurse was more so to get the spotlight off her. The Stewart quip was said to wake her up and get her going. It worked.

He even poked fun at Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis during the media festivities on Monday saying she was pretty good at playing fake defense.

Of course when Auriemma wasn’t around, KML got the last laugh in, for now at least.

Watch and/or listen as KML talks about Auriemma’s sarcasm and how she’s learned to give it back: