University of Florida women’s basketball coach Kelly Rae Finley is no longer leading the program and a national search for the next head coach is underway, Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin announced today.
“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.
Finley was named the ninth head coach in program history in April 2022 after serving as the team’s interim head coach during the latter part of the 2021–22 season. During her tenure, she compiled a 93–75 overall record, including a 30–50 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Her interim campaign produced an NCAA Tournament appearance, but the Gators did not return to the tournament during the remainder of her tenure.
“I’d like to thank the administration for entrusting me with the development of Florida’s women’s basketball team over these last four-plus seasons,” said Finley. “I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to work with a number of amazing coaches, support staff and boosters during my time in Gainesville who believed in what we were doing to put Florida women’s basketball back on the map.
“I’m immensely proud of the work we put in and the things we accomplished together. But I’m most proud of our players. As much as college athletics is about wins and losses, for me it is also about developing young women. The opportunity to work with such an amazing group of players over the years here in Florida has been an absolute joy, and I’m looking forward to seeing the impact this current group of Gators will have moving forward both as amazing athletes on the court, and as high-character people throughout the rest of their lives.”
Prior to being named interim head coach at Florida, Finley served as an assistant coach on the Gators’ staff beginning in 2017. Her coaching career also includes assistant coaching stops at Arizona, Colorado and Harvard.
“The University of Florida is committed to building a women’s basketball program that consistently reaches the NCAA Tournament and competes among the top teams in the Southeastern Conference,” Stricklin said. “This search is an important opportunity to identify a leader who will recruit and develop outstanding student-athletes, build strong connections within our community, and elevate the program to meet the expectations UF has for all 21 of our sports. The University of Florida has all of the resources here in Gainesville and beyond to support a successful women’s basketball program, and we look forward to hiring a coach and staff who can deliver on those expectations.”
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