Kelly Rae Finley named full-time head coach of Florida, surprises team with news
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Kelly Rae Finley has been serving as Florida’s interim women’s hoops coach after Cameron Newbauer resigned following an investigation into his program before the season.
All she’s done is lead the Gators to a 20-7 overall record thus far — the team’s most wins since the 2015-16 season under then-coach Amanda Butler.
Now, on Monday, she has officially been named the next head coach of the program. As you can see below, AD Scott Stricklin surprised players with the news on Monday:
IT’S OFFICIAL!! @kraefin is the Head. Coach. #GoGators
— Gators Women’s Basketball (@GatorsWBK) February 28, 2022
In a press release, Finley said she’s grateful for the opportunity to lead the Gators over the next few years:
“I’m humbled to be given the opportunity to lead our women’s basketball program and I believe that together we will be able to achieve great things,” Finley said. “I’m forever grateful for our staff and student-athletes for their dedication to growing this program and I look forward to continuing on this journey.”
Florida likely has its spot in the NCAA Tournament locked up. Now, we’ll see how the Gators fare in the SEC Tournament this week. The Gators are the No. 5 seed in Nashville, behind No. 1 South Carolina, No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Tennessee and No. 4 Ole Miss. It should be a fun week of SEC women’s hoops action!
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
