Florida Women’s Basketball: Moving Forward

Florida begins the season prepared to improve rebounding, physicality, and establish new roles for familiar faces.

By Loren Meadows, GatorBaitMedia.com

On Wednesday at SEC Media Days senior guard Jeriah Warren was asked if her coach Kelly Rae Finley could score one basket on her in a game. Despite Finley being a former Division 1 hooper and still in good shape, Warren confidently answered with a resounding “NO, I’m one of the best defenders”. While that may have been an item for discussion on the trip back to Gainesville, Warren is correct in the fact that she begins the season as one of the SEC’s most dynamic defenders. The 6-0 guard from Lake Charles, Louisiana constantly draws the assignment of guarding some of the SEC’s most dynamic players and her versatility on the defensive end is appreciated by the Florida staff. This season Warren has been challenged by Finley to bring her offensive output to the level of her defense. Warren scored over 1500 points in her prep career and late last season began to emerge as an offensive threat for the Gators. In preseason practices Warren has been more assertive offensively looking for shots at a higher rate which means the message from Finley was well received. Her ability to score on the perimeter and inside will be a welcome addition to her game as Florida looks to replace the scoring output of 2024 SEC Sixth Woman of the Year Leilani Correa who currently plays internationally in Puerto Rico.

Florida guard Jeriah Warren (Chris Spears photo)

Warren is just one of many Gators that will push Florida into top half of what is now the premier conference in Women’s Basketball. Florida returns seven players from last year’s team that gave Finley her third winning season in as many years and made a historic run in the SEC tournament. Finley has also found success on the recruiting trail adding three McDonalds All-Americans in the past two years. Sophomore Laila Reynolds was the first in 2023 and was followed to Gainesville by point guard Liv McGill and versatile forward Me’Arah O’Neal this season. In addition to McGill and O’Neil, Florida also added highly touted freshmen Kylee Kitts, Davine Ongbakahoumb, and transfer post player Alexia Gassett from Louisville. Florida will also be bolstered by the return of Ra' Shaya “Big Shay” Kyle who suffered an injury in January of last season and looks to be ahead of schedule in her rehab. “Building relationships and old school recruiting” is what Finley believes to be the key to their recruiting success as she continues to promote a family atmosphere and off the court experiences for her team. Posititivity through hard work and togetherness is the name of the game for the Florida Gators. 

Reynolds, McGill, and O’Neal will be called upon to play major minutes for a Florida team that was picked to finish 9th in the SEC. With the depth of the SEC and a schedule that includes Miami, North Carolina, Clemson, and Florida State from the ACC the Gators are more than capable of making a return to the NCAA Tournament. Finley wants a team that plays aggressive on both ends, rebounds, and moves with freedom on offense. This desire is on display in practice where Finley promotes a competitive yet positive environement with a coaching staff devoted to getting the most out of their athletes. “We are really excited about the versatility of our team, the improvements we’ve made, as well as the physicality and our rebounding” Finley stated Wednesday. The roster is a great mix of experience, youth, and talent. Most importantly it is a group that is connected and trust themselves and one another, a testament to Finley and her staff. 

Florida Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley (Chris Spears photo)