Florida hired Rhode Island’s Tammi Reiss as its next women’s basketball coach, athletic director Scott Stricklin announced, giving her a 5-year deal worth an average annual salary of $950,000. Reiss becomes the Gators’ 12th women’s basketball coach and will replace Kelly Rae Finley, whose tenure ended with four consecutive 5-11 finishes in the SEC. The hire represents Stricklin’s third coaching change in the sport as Florida continues searching for its first conference championship in women’s basketball.
“Tammi Reiss is a proven winner and an outstanding leader whose experience as both a player and coach stood out throughout this process,” Stricklin said. “Tammi has a genuine passion for the game and for developing young women. It was clear from the beginning how much she wanted the opportunity to lead the Florida Gators.” Reiss arrives in Gainesville after leading Rhode Island to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years, completing one of the nation’s more notable rebuilds.
When Reiss took over Rhode Island in 2019, the program had just one winning season in 15 years. She transformed the Rams into a championship contender, posting back-to-back program-record win totals and culminating in a 28-5 finish this past season. Rhode Island captured its first-ever Atlantic 10 Tournament title under her leadership, marking a dramatic turnaround for the program.
“It’s a bit bittersweet to say goodbye to a place that you love so much,” Reiss said. “Rhode Island gave me a shot when nobody else believed in me. They gave me all the necessary resources to be successful, and we accomplished everything that I promised the university and the fan base that we set out to do.” Her success at Rhode Island followed a distinguished playing career at Virginia, where she was a three-time All-American who shared a backcourt with Cavaliers legend Dawn Staley.
Reiss helped lead Virginia to three Final Fours and the 1991 national championship game before becoming the fifth overall pick in the 1997 WNBA Draft. Her coaching resume includes stops at Virginia, San Diego State and Syracuse, where she helped guide the Orange to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. At Syracuse, she developed players like Brittney Sykes and Alexis Peterson, who made the 2017 WNBA All-Rookie team.
“But I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to coach at the highest level, and it doesn’t get any better than the SEC in terms of women’s basketball,” Reiss said. The Florida Gators women’s basketball team represents the University of Florida in Division I of the NCAA and competes in the Southeastern Conference. The program plays home games at Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center, which has a capacity of 10,136, located on the university’s Gainesville campus.
The Florida program has appeared in 15 NCAA tournaments with a record of 12-15, but remains the school’s only program never to win a conference championship. Women’s basketball was approved as a sport by the University of Florida in March 1972 and began play in 1973 as a club team. The program debuted as a varsity team in 1975 under head coach Paula Welch, making local headlines in 1976 by winning the state championship against the other three women’s teams in Florida at that time.
Reiss inherits a program that has struggled with coaching stability in recent years. Amanda Butler coached from April 13, 2007, until 2017, followed by Cameron Newbauer who was announced as the 10th head coach on March 27, 2017. Kelly Rae Finley was promoted to head coach on February 28, 2022, after serving as interim head coach during the 2021-22 season, but her tenure ended with consecutive disappointing SEC records.
Reiss said Florida’s resources, academics and SEC affiliation position her to build a championship-caliber program in Gainesville. The hire comes as the Gators look to compete with traditional SEC powers like Tennessee and Georgia, programs that have historically overshadowed Florida in women’s basketball. Florida has sent players to the WNBA, including DeLisha Milton-Jones, but has yet to achieve sustained success at the conference level.
The new coach will begin her tenure immediately as she looks to rebuild a program seeking its first conference championship and return to NCAA Tournament prominence. Reiss faces the challenge of recruiting top talent to compete in one of the nation’s most competitive conferences while establishing a winning culture in Gainesville.