Florida women’s basketball will be entering another era after Kelly Rae Finley was fired on Monday, ending a five-season run that began with a stunning NCAA Tournament breakthrough.
Finley took over as interim head coach in 2021, leading the Gators to that historic run in her first season at the helm. However, the team struggled to regain momentum in the tough Southeastern Conference and missed the tournament in the following years. She leaves Gainesville with a 93-75 overall record. In a statement from Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin, he informed the program that Finley would not be retained as head coach.
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“We are grateful for Coach Finley’s commitment to the program and the student-athletes during her time in Gainesville and wish her and her family the very best moving forward,” Stricklin said in the release.
A Roller‑Coaster Tenure
Finley’s path to the head coaching position was unusual, to say the least. She was a former assistant under Cam Newbauer and was thrust into the interim role in July 2021 after Newbauer abruptly resigned amid swirling player concerns about his leadership and treatment of players during his tenure. The abrupt coaching transition came just weeks before the season opener for the Gators.
In her first season at the helm, Florida went 21–11, including 10–6 in SEC play, and earned a bid to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament. It was the first tournament berth for the Gators in six years. That breakthrough earned Finley high accolades, including SEC Coach of the Year honors and national attention for guiding a team through turmoil.
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However, in the seasons that followed, Florida drifted into mediocrity in the nation’s toughest conference. The Gators have since been unable to return to the NCAA Tournament, leading the program to move in a new direction.
What’s Next for Florida
The search will begin for the third women’s basketball head coach under Stricklin’s tenure as AD in Gainesville. The next hire will be tasked with trying to elevate Florida back into the highly competitive SEC landscape that includes perennial powers such as South Carolina and LSU.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Florida women’s basketball fires coach Kelly Rae Finley
