As Kelly Rae Finley’s due date approached, she boarded a plane bound for Las Vegas.
The Florida women’s basketball coach was a full nine months pregnant, but her Gators needed to face UNLV in the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT).
People questioned the coach’s decision.
“Are you crazy?,” they asked.
But the coach felt fine, as she had the entire season.
Somehow, she didn’t go into labor on the six-hour flights to and from Sin City, or when Kenza Salgues knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer to win 86-84.
If only baby Laken could have waited another few days…
On March 31, Laken was born at 5:04 a.m. at UF Shands Hospital. That afternoon, the Gators played Minnesota in the WBIT semifinals in Indianapolis and lost 66-52 as Finley watched from her hospital bed.
Seven months later, the coach – free of her baby belly – and her team are ready to make baby Laken proud and hopefully return to the NCAA Tournament.
No immediate break
The feeling of watching her team from a hospital is one she doesn’t want to repeat.
“I felt like we were all over the place in the game,” Finley said. “It was hard to watch.”
If this was years ago, Finley could have immediately entered maternity leave. With the transfer portal and recruiting, that isn’t an option for coaches anymore. A few days after birth, she met with players at the hospital.
Finley and the Gators didn’t miss a beat in the transfer cycle. Center Ra Shaya Kyle did transfer to Miami, but UF brought in UAB transfer Jade Weathersby.
In a way, the coach preferred Laken born during the season, like what happened with Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell. During the season, you can follow a routine. The offseason and the craziness of the transfer portal allow for no such break.
“With the transfer portal, we got a visit tomorrow, and then we got one in three days,” Finley said.
Once the portal closed on April 22, Finley and her fiancé – Shawn – escaped for some sun at Shawn’s home in Hawaii. She arrived back in late June and was greeted by a new roster full of international players. Half of Florida’s roster this season is foreign born, including four freshmen.
The fire never left
The most striking statement talking to Finley and her players is how similar she is this season vs. last season.
“Her intensity is the same when she had a baby. When she had Laken in her stomach, she was trying to get on the court,” sophomore guard Liv McGill said. “It just shows how much she cares about us and her dedication to this team, and her sacrifice that she makes every day.”
To McGill, it meant a lot to have a coach give it her all a mere days before her baby was born. It shows her dedication to her team.
Finley knows her program operates in a different way. She’s not the Kim Mulkey tough love type, and she doesn’t want to be. She wants to protect the bond she has with players, a rarity at the SEC level.
“Our student athletes and staff have really unique bond and buy into each other,” Finley said. “Great things can happen when that’s the case.”
Sacrifice, not balance
Finley left Laken at an age younger than most mothers would like so she could coach her team. It was a hard moment, but she got through it due to Shawn’s support. His presence, plus her mother back in Minnesota, allows Finley to be “fully present” for her players.
“This is my focus, and my family is bought into this being our focus, so that we can compete for a championship,” Finley said. “There’s a huge sacrifice that comes with that, and it’s one that we’ve decided is well worth the investment.”
The biggest sacrifice comes from her. Finley gave up months of her offseason to give birth and now leaves Laken for days at a time to coach the Gators. It’s worth it since Finley said she doesn’t want to live her life in fear of anything.
“I think the timing is perfect. It’s perfect for us in this season of life, and I have to believe that our student athletes and our staff are enriched because he’s around,” Finley said. “It creates a whole lot of perspective that sometimes can be missed in the game of winning.”
Like when Finley was pregnant, she wants to serve as a role model to women of child-bearing age. Although she believes that a true “balance” is a myth.
“I’ve always believed that women can do it all, and I believe that you can win at the highest level. You can be a great mom and at the same time win,” Finley said. “What you sacrifice, and when you sacrifice it, and where you invest that time is critically important.”
Finley and the Gators host rival Florida State on Thursday night at the O’Connell Center. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.
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. 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: How Florida’s Kelly Rae Finley is approaching season with new perspective after becoming a mom
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
