Giant-Killer Kelly Rae Finley Draws National Attention

Chris Spears Photo

The Lady Gators are winning and getting noticed because of Kelly Rae Finley,

“I don't understand why that girl hasn't been named the head coach yet…” – LSU Coach Kim Mulkey

By KYLE CURTIS

GatorBait Intern

Since the previous update on Kelly Rae Finley’s success with the women’s basketball team at UF, she has not only taken the SEC by storm, but the whole nation. The Gators were ranked #19 in the most recent AP poll heading into their game vs. Mississippi State this week, which they won handidly in Starkville Thursday night, 73-64.

Finley has her Gators rolling, having now won eight of their last nine games, five against those being AP top 25 teams. Their only loss came to #1 South Carolina at home, quickly followed by a program-defining 84-59 thrashing of No. 7 Tennessee on the road.

After one of the most controversial off seasons in recent history for Florida sports, Finley now has her team in the midst of one of their best seasons in program history. The grit and attention shown on the court were inspirational enough to draw compliments from opposing coaches (At this writing she was still wearing the “interim” tag.)

LSU head coach, Kim Mulkey, had this to say regarding Finley's status as interim head coach after losing to Florida: “I don't understand why that girl hasn't been named the head coach yet. What else does she have to do? What are you waitin’ on?”

Mulkey, as well as others across the nation, are asking the same question as Gator’s fans are. Finley has the team ranked in the top 20 for the first time since December of 2016, with a chance to make a deep run in the tournament with hopes of a high tournament seeding.

Gator Nation has flooded Twitter with tweets of support and gratitude in hopes of Finley securing the job. Some have even called it “the best story in all of college hoops this year,”

If the Gators fail to secure Finley past the 2022 season, she is likely to have plenty of job opportunities. There are no reports of any other current offers, but Finley has ties to schools such as Harvard (alma mater and assistant coach) and Arizona (recruiting coordinator and guard coach) where she has experienced previous success.

Graphic Courtesy of UAA

Kelly Rae has also been a big reason in breakout guard Kiara (Kiki) Smith. Smith has won SEC player of the week twice already this season and is likely to have ALL-SEC honors when the season concludes. In the Gator's four upset wins over ranked teams, Smith was able to score at least 23 points, including 27 against Texas A&M.

A storybook season already, still has a couple more chapters to be written as the ladies look to finish this potential historic season in strong fashion.