Coaching Hot Seat 2021

[KnightBridgeAZ]

The SEC needed a lot of change, the conference was becoming too weak overall IMO (NCAAT reflected that). McCray will not be gone after next season, although if she has a similar season as last year, her days may be numbered, Vic did not leave a rebuild. Blair won't be around much longer, he is up in age. Pingeton is still pretty young although they have had losing seasons the last two years and havent been the same since Cummingham left. Another losing season could expedite things...Not sure on Curry, she isnt ever going to win big at Alabama, I guess it depends on how content their AD is with that program.

As to the Alabama AD - it is Greg Byrne that was here. He was wise enough to hire Adia - but he tolerated Niya Butts long after she had lost the fan base, team and respectability. Of course, this was under Arizona's financial restraints, they let her finish out her contract.

I liked Greg, FWIW - he is an excellent AD - but there were some mixed downsides.

 

[dws3665]

It looks like it has happened:

 

[SECbbfan24]

Im gonna be interested to hear the backstory on what went down

 

[dws3665]

Will they throw money at Becky Hammon this time? Would she even want it?

Update: Being reported as "stepping down," and Finley will serve as Interim for 2021-22 season.

Newbauer Steps Down as Women's Basketball Head Coach - Florida Gators

Kelly Rae Finley will serve as interim head coach for the 2021-22 season.

floridagators.com

 

[Vowelguy]

Will they throw money at Becky Hammon this time? Would she even want it?

Update: Being reported as "stepping down," and Finley will serve as Interim for 2021-22 season.

Newbauer Steps Down as Women's Basketball Head Coach - Florida Gators

Kelly Rae Finley will serve as interim head coach for the 2021-22 season.

floridagators.com

Well of course. Getting fired would be poison to his future career. Not that "stepping down" is great on the resume, but still better than "fired."

Interim makes sense since would be hard to get a replacement at this late date. In contrast this puts them at the front of the line for coaching searches next year, if they elect not to keep going with Finley.

And make a run at Smesko?

 

[Plebe]

Will they throw money at Becky Hammon this time? Would she even want it?

Update: Being reported as "stepping down," and Finley will serve as Interim for 2021-22 season.

Newbauer Steps Down as Women's Basketball Head Coach - Florida Gators

Kelly Rae Finley will serve as interim head coach for the 2021-22 season.

floridagators.com

Wow, that press release was utterly uninformative. Not even the quaint lip service to "spending more time with my family".

 

[SECbbfan24]

Wow, that press release was utterly uninformative. Not even the quaint lip service to "spending more time with my family".

I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess he had inappropriate relationship with a staffer or employee in the athletic department and allowed him to step down instead of being fired. At least that’s what’s being speculated by many close to the program

so now he can “spend more time with family”

 

[Vowelguy]

I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess he had inappropriate relationship with a staffer or employee in the athletic department and allowed him to step down instead of being fired. At least that’s what’s being speculated by many close to the program

This happened right after that key player transferred, so I assumed those two things were related. Or do you think that timing was just a coincidence?

 

[SECbbfan24]

This happened right after that key player transferred, so I assumed those two things were related. Or do you think that timing was just a coincidence?

I don’t have any inside knowledge but unless something happened between the two, it appears Briggs decided to leave after learning Cam would be stepping down (which was days ago but released today). She seemed extremely fond and close to Cam from what I have seen but who knows.

 

[Vowelguy]

I don’t have any inside knowledge but unless something happened between the two, it appears Briggs decided to leave after learning Cam would be stepping down (which was days ago but released today). She seemed extremely fond and close to Cam from what I have seen but who knows.

Ah ok makes sense. So they are related just in the other direction.

 

[Rooster C.]

Well at least now I know my source is reliable. I was going to name the school but w/o it being official deemed it inappropriate.

 

[TC22]

Lavender Briggs will be quite a pickup for some team.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Not that we need more competition in the SEC but there is no reason why Florida should have a bad basketball program unless the department doesn't wish to spend the money to be competitive. Stricklen was the MSU AD who hired Vic and maybe it was a once in a lifetime type find for the man. FL is football, football, a little basketball and back to football again but they shouldn't have the struggle to land talent they do.

I hate to see any situation play out like this with such little time left before the season.

 

[SimpleDawg]

Not that we need more competition in the SEC but there is no reason why Florida should have a bad basketball program unless the department doesn't wish to spend the money to be competitive. Stricklen was the MSU AD who hired Vic and maybe it was a once in a lifetime type find for the man. FL is football, football, a little basketball and back to football again but they shouldn't have the struggle to land talent they do.

I hate to see any situation play out like this with such little time left before the season.

They've tried to get a good coach, like Carolyn Peck (a national title winner) and Amanda Butler but both were failures. Like you said, it feels like Florida only cares about football. They invest in every sport, and they have championships in men's basketball, baseball, and softball but usually when I meet an angry Gator fan online they usually always vent about football, where angry fans from other schools in the SEC might complain about baseball or women's basketball, or something else.

I think they'll make an attempt to be good at women's basketball, but as we've seen it's not easy because usually in women's basketball the elite rises above and the rest quickly go away. They'll be teams that are decent-to-good in a brief span of time, but Florida was just never lucky enough to have hired a quality coach and the difference between Florida and Tennessee is basically Tennessee hitting the lucky crap shot with Pat early on.

 

[TC22]

And now they’ll have to start over because many of the better players have hit the portal.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

They've tried to get a good coach, like Carolyn Peck (a national title winner) and Amanda Butler but both were failures. Like you said, it feels like Florida only cares about football. They invest in every sport, and they have championships in men's basketball, baseball, and softball but usually when I meet an angry Gator fan online they usually always vent about football, where angry fans from other schools in the SEC might complain about baseball or women's basketball, or something else.

I think they'll make an attempt to be good at women's basketball, but as we've seen it's not easy because usually in women's basketball the elite rises above and the rest quickly go away. They'll be teams that are decent-to-good in a brief span of time, but Florida was just never lucky enough to have hired a quality coach and the difference between Florida and Tennessee is basically Tennessee hitting the lucky crap shot with Pat early on.

Well, I certainly respected Florida in WBB when Carol Ross was there. Very successful, if not quite elite. Rutgers, which I was following at the time, played them at least once down there.

I don't like Florida Softball (the flower in the hair seals the deal), but it has certainly been successful and I remember their men's BB championship, though I couldn't tell you when it was.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

They've tried to get a good coach, like Carolyn Peck (a national title winner) and Amanda Butler but both were failures. Like you said, it feels like Florida only cares about football. They invest in every sport, and they have championships in men's basketball, baseball, and softball but usually when I meet an angry Gator fan online they usually always vent about football, where angry fans from other schools in the SEC might complain about baseball or women's basketball, or something else.

Florida had Carol Ross, who played for Van Chancellor at Ole Miss and later coached the Rebels to the E8 after her time in FL. She had DeLisha Milton and Murial Page (another Mississippi girl) and was pretty successful. The team hasn't really had anyone since who worked out. They've generally been a program that wins just enough to keep someone around a few years but hasn't been able to get established in the upper tier of the conference, let alone be nationally relevant.

I agree they have been successful in almost every other sport which is what makes women's basketball seem strange. It's a tougher sport to crack into the upper echelon but not impossible as we saw our Bulldogs rise in a relatively short period with a great coach and some stones who once polished became jewels.

 

[455Rocket]

Florida had Carol Ross, who played for Van Chancellor at Ole Miss and later coached the Rebels to the E8 after her time in FL. She had DeLisha Milton and Murial Page (another Mississippi girl) and was pretty successful. The team hasn't really had anyone since who worked out. They've generally been a program that wins just enough to keep someone around a few years but hasn't been able to get established in the upper tier of the conference, let alone be nationally relevant.

I agree they have been successful in almost every other sport which is what makes women's basketball seem strange. It's a tougher sport to crack into the upper echelon but not impossible as we saw our Bulldogs rise in a relatively short period with a great coach and some stones who once polished became jewels.

Their point guard was Miss Georgia Basketball Mahogany Hudson from Gainesville Georgia. I may be a little biased because I was one of Mahogany's assistant coaches in high school but IMO she made was the glue. Amanda Butler was also on that team.

 

[southie]

And now they’ll have to start over because many of the better players have hit the portal.

Have their been confirmations that others besides Briggs are for sure in the transfer portal?

 

[Vowelguy]

Have their been confirmations that others besides Briggs are for sure in the transfer portal?

Nothing new from Raoul

 

[Vowelguy]

They've generally been a program that wins just enough to keep someone around a few years but hasn't been able to get established in the upper tier of the conference, let alone be nationally relevant.

.

with their location, would be hard to completely stink
I would go hard after Smesko

 

[Vowelguy]

Nothing new from Raoul

Even with the 4 transfers, they have 13 on roster for next season. (Doesnt look like any are walk-ons but dunno).
Seem to have pretty good size -- 8/13 are 6'0 or more.

 

[TC22]

Have their been confirmations that others besides Briggs are for sure in the transfer portal?

They had two grad transfers hit the portal and Chang is no longer listed. At least there Is room for new players.

 

[dws3665]

Chang has been 404'd off the Gator WBB site. Looks like she didn't play at all after January last year, and google doesn't seem to know much more. She's not listed as a transfer, so it may be that she's retired (or ineligible or something).

 

[Vowelguy]

Any dirt come out on what happened at FL?