Alabama women’s basketball head coach Kristy Curry is leaving Tuscaloosa after 13 seasons for the same position at USF.
A source confirms to BamaCentral that Curry informed her team and staff in a meeting on Tuesday afternoon that she would be leaving the program. Alabama’s season ended in the Round of 32 on Monday afternoon at 4-seed Louisville with a heartbreaking 69-68 loss.
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“We lost three WNBA Draft picks and 60 percent of our scoring and 60 percent of our rebounding and 40 percent of our assists,” Curry said after Monday’s loss. “Like I said, culture doesn’t graduate. Just really proud of the locker room and how they went to work in June, and hated we couldn’t find another possession today for them. But we’ll continue to get back to work and stay at it.”
It was the third straight year that the Crimson Tide’s season came to an end in the Round of 32. Curry has taken Alabama to the NCAA Tournament five of the last seasons since 2021. However, Alabama has not reached the Sweet 16 since the 1997-98 season.
Curry amassed a 245-173 record over 13 seasons in Tuscaloosa. During her tenure, the women’s basketball team moved from playing its games in Foster Auditorium, which holds a capacity of 3,800, to Coleman Coliseum, a 15,000-plus venue where the men’s team also plays. The program snapped its losing streak to Tennessee, which was over four decades long. She ended up beating the Lady Vols eight times, including in this year’s SEC tournament.
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne released a statement after the news broke.
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“Coach Curry did a commendable job with our women’s basketball team over the last 13 years, leading the program back to the NCAA Tournament and winning 20-plus games in each of the last five seasons. We appreciate her contributions and wish her and her family well moving forward.
“As we begin a national search for our next head coach, Alabama athletics remains committed to the continued growth and investment in women’s basketball.”
Prior to coaching at Alabama, Curry was the head coach at Purdue and Texas Tech. USF will be her first head coaching job at a mid-major school. She has previously served as an assistant at Tulane, Stephen F. Austin and Louisiana Tech.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/alabama as Kristy Curry Leaving Alabama after 13 Seasons for Mid-Major Program.
