Gator’s Women’s Basketball: Florida tabs Rhode Island’s Reiss to lead the Gator Women’s program.

Reiss, a three-time All-American was 138-73 as head of the Lady Rams.

By Loren Meadows, GatorBaitMedia.com, Host of The Lowdown with Loren Meadows

Florida has hired former Virginia great and WNBA star Tammi Reiss as it’s head coach replacing Kelly Rae Finley who led the program the previous four seasons. Reiss brings a strong resume as both a coach and a player to a Florida program that missed the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year and is still working to find a foothold in the changing landscape of collegiate athletics. 

Reiss, who was the head coach at Rhode island since 2019 had an overall record of 138-73, winning two A-10 regular season titles as well as the A-10 conference tournament this season to lead the program to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1996. Reiss is not an unknown to true women’s hoops fans who can recall her time as the backcourt mate and roommate of Dawn Staley during their run of three Final Fours from 1989-1992 under legendary Virgina coach Debbie Ryan. A three-time All-American Reiss would remain at Virgina for three years as an assistant while playing for the WNBA’s Utah Starzz during the early years of the league. She would return to Utah to lead the Starzz in both Utah and San Antonio before coming back to the college ranks as an assistant at Syracuse and ultimately the job at Rhode Island.

Her former roommate and friend Dawn Staley had nothing but praise for Reiss stating, “ Tammi and I go back to our days at Virgina, and even then you could see the passion, the toughness and the basketball IQ that set her apart.” “From sharing the court as roommates to now coaching in the same league, its special. And I know she’s going to make a strong impact at Florida."

Scott Stricklin who has come under fire for what is perceived as a lack of support and investment in women’s athletics during his tenure praised Reiss’ track record and pedigree stating, "Tammi Reiss is a proven winner and an outstanding leader whose experience as both a player and coach stood out throughout this process," said Stricklin. "She brings tremendous enthusiasm, an unbelievable competitive spirit, and a relentless work ethic that will resonate with our student-athletes and our entire program. Tammi has a genuine passion for the game and for developing young women, and it was clear from the beginning how much she wanted the opportunity to lead the Florida Gators. She is also a strong recruiter with a track record of building an international pipeline, and her unique life experiences have helped shape her into a dynamic leader. We are excited to welcome Tammi to Gainesville and look forward to the energy and vision she will bring to our women's basketball program."

While Reiss is indebted to the Rhode Island for their support during her tenure Reiss is fully aware of the opportunities a school like Florida can offer. “Between Florida’s academic reputation and the resources available to the program, I believe we have all the pieces to build a championship-caliber team that the university and community will be proud of and excited to support.”

It will be interesting to see how Florida, who has been notably slow to adapt to the ever-changing dynamic in collegiate athletics will invest in a women’s basketball program that is the only Florida program that has yet to win won an SEC title, and notably behind in NIL funding compared to the programs that it is evaluated against.