Alabama’s Kristy Curry received a contract extension prior to the 2016-17 season, keeping her on as head coach of the Crimson Tide women’s basketball team through 2020.
Since being formally introduced on May 16, 2013, Curry and her staff have established a culture that has helped the women’s basketball program make positive strides, both on and off the court, year after year.
Each season under Curry has produced significant wins, beginning in 2014 when her team won seven Southeastern Conference games marking the most since the 2001-02 season. Included in those wins was the first in Lexington against Kentucky since 2002, the first against Georgia since 2004, snapping a 23-game losing streak to the Lady Bulldogs, and the first in program history at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gym. In 2014-15, the Tide reached double-digit wins in non-conference play for the first time since 2010, which included a victory over 12th-ranked Nebraska.
Perhaps the most significant win, however, was the 54-46 victory over Tennessee on Feb. 25, 2016. It was the first in the series for the Tide since 1984, ending a 42-game losing streak to the Lady Volunteers, and the first victory in the series in program history in Tuscaloosa. Later that year, Alabama also made it back to the postseason after having been out the five previous seasons.
Since Curry took over, season ticket sales increased over 50 percent. Each year, a new attendance record was set, with the most recent coming on Jan. 17, 2016, when 3,732 fans were on hand for the Tide’s win over Georgia at Foster Auditorium. Due to the popularity and growth of the program, the team is moving all of its home games back to Coleman Coliseum beginning with the 2016-17 season.
When not in the classroom or on the court, members of Curry’s squads are frequently seen out in the community where they have participated in a number of activities through the team’s Community Caravan. In 2013-14, the team was recognized for its efforts at the athletic department’s year-end banquet as the women’s team with the most service hours throughout the year.
Curry also received a special honor of her own at the 2014 Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association Convention in Nashville, Tenn., as she was awarded the Kay Yow Heart of a Coach Award, presented by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The award, established in 2008 to honor the late Kay Yow, recognizes a basketball coach who has coached according to Biblical principles, and to the heart, body and mind of the athlete.
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