Kelly Rae Finley’s tenure with Florida women’s basketball is over.
Athletic Director Scott Stricklin fired Finley Monday after five seasons on the job with a career record of 93-75.
“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 a release.
Finley, a native of Minneapolis, joined Florida’s staff with former coach Cam Newbauer in 2017. She became associate head coach in 2019 and became interim head coach in July 2021 when Newbauer abruptly resigned due to concerning allegations.
That September, a report from the Independent Florida Alligator alleged that Newbauer verbally and emotionally abused players. With the season mere weeks away, Finley led the close-knit team to a remarkable season.
The Gators finished the season 21-11 and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016, when Amanda Butler was still at the helm. UF defeated five ranked teams over the course of the campaign and reached a high ranking of No. 15 in the country.
Finley and Co. never returned to those heights. The Gators fell to 19-15 in 2022-23 and reached the quarterfinals of the WNIT. Florida combined for a 35-34 record in 2024 and 2025 with a 5-11 SEC mark during those seasons.
The end of last season brought some renewed optimism thanks to a run to the WBIT semifinals. With McDonald’s All-Americans Laila Reynolds, Liv McGill and Me’Arah O’Neal returning for the 2025-26 season, the hope was UF would return to the NCAA Tournament.
Instead, it was more of the same for the program. The Gators finished the regular season with a 18-15 record (5-11 in SEC play). There were some positives as McGill finished second in the SEC in scoring with 22.8 PPG, and O’Neal took massive strides in her second year.
UF dealt with a brutal schedule and won its first regular season ranked game since that 2021-22 season on February 26 in a 74-67 win over then-No. 17 Ole Miss.
Ultimately, it was too little, too late.
“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 in a release. “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.”
Stricklin will now hire his third coach at the program and the 12th in its history. Under Carol Ross in the 1990s, UF was a consistent NCAA Tournament team and even reached the Elite Eight in 1997 and the Sweet 16 a year later.
Since Ross’ departure in 2002, the Gators have failed to generate success in the sport and haven’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2014.
“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.”
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1 and on Instagram @Ramreporter. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida women’s basketball fires head coach Kelly Rae Finley
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
