Reiss Era Tips Off: McMiller, Harris Combine for 57 in 83-60 Win Over Bucknell

The Tammi Reiss era begins with a dominating 83-60 win over Bucknell as starting guards Kiyomi McMiller and Vanessa Harris combine for 57 points.

The Florida women's basketball program heads into the 2026-27 season with a new look from top to bottom, as first-year coach Tammi Reiss used the transfer portal and a late recruiting push to assemble the most experienced roster the Gators have had in the last five years. While former Gator teams may have had more recognizable names, the roster Reiss has put together has the grit, experience and determination of a team built for the rigors of a tough non-conference and SEC schedule.

Reiss is no stranger to success at every level. A multiple-sport state champion in high school, she was a three-time all-conference selection and part of three straight Final Four teams at the University of Virginia under legendary coach Debbie Ryan, alongside teammate and basketball Hall of Famer Dawn Staley. Reiss was also an Academic All-American in her final season at Virginia. She parlayed her on- and off-court success into a wide array of experiences, with stops as an assistant at Virginia, in the WNBA, and at San Diego State, Cal State Fullerton and Syracuse. As a player, Reiss was selected fifth overall by the Utah Starzz in the inaugural WNBA draft and played two seasons while also working for the Utah Jazz TV broadcasting team. At Virginia, she also found a love for acting, and after participating in plays there she landed roles in the movie Juwanna Mann, the TV sitcom Sister, Sister and several commercials. She has also owned a gym and was the first woman to own a night club in Salt Lake City, Utah, which became a favorite hangout for visiting NBA teams.

Reiss has a grinder's spirit, and that spirit helped her find success in her first head coaching job and then at the University of Rhode Island. She had six consecutive winning seasons with the Rams, winning the A-10 regular-season championship twice. In her final season at Rhode Island, the Rams won both the A-10 regular-season and tournament championships, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the second in school history. Now at Florida, Reiss hopes to bring a dynamic brand of basketball that is quick in transition and locked in defensively.

This season the Gators will lean on a roster that is very talented in the backcourt, with guards Kiyomi McMiller and Vanessa Harris. McMiller was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection last season, averaging 21.6 points and 4.5 assists per game. Harris, a transfer from Rhode Island, was the A-10 Sixth Woman of the Year and a member of the A-10 All-Rookie Team. She is the daughter of D.C. hoops legend and former Mount St. Mary's standout Gregory Harris and was selected as a team leader (captain) by the Florida coaching staff. "Vanessa owns the locker room," Reiss said after Monday's win. "She knows the standard in practice, she sets the tone for us."

Monday night, McMiller and Harris were both stellar in their Florida debuts, with McMiller scoring 31 points and Harris scoring a career-high 26 in her first collegiate start. McMiller's 31 points rank third all time in a Florida season opener.

The starting five is rounded out by three other players with Power 4 experience: guards Jordan Jones (Arizona State) and Moriah Murray (Penn State), and the lone forward, uber-athletic USC transfer Vivian Iwuchukwu, who played her prep ball in Florida at Montverde Academy.

Along with a revamped roster, Reiss has assembled one of the SEC's best coaching staffs, giving three coaches the associate head coach title, which reflects their level of experience and expertise, while also retaining Cynthia Jordan, who was instrumental in landing past talent on the Gator roster.

Assistant coaches

Shay Robinson, associate head coach

Tahnee Balerio, associate head coach

CJ Jones, associate head coach

Jen Fay, assistant coach/recruiting coordinator

Cynthia Jordan, assistant coach

Roster (most recent school in parentheses)

Starters vs. Bucknell

#32 G Kiyomi McMiller, 5-9, Jr. (Penn State): Do-it-all guard with creative and elite ball-handling skills

#23 G Vanessa Harris, 5-10, So. (Rhode Island): Efficient and physical player who can score in various ways

#4 G Jordan Jones, 5-11, Sr. (Arizona State): Brings experience and physicality on both ends of the floor

#3 G Moriah Murray, 5-9, R-Sr. (Penn State): Sharpshooter who defends well and shot 39.8 percent from three last season

#22 F Vivian Iwuchukwu, 6-3, Jr. (USC): Athletic forward who can defend the perimeter and run the floor

Reserves

#0 F Aurora Almón, 6-4, Jr. (Syracuse): Elite effort and rebounding skills; had a career-high 10 rebounds in the opener

#1 F Jade Weathersby, 6-3, Sr.: Can run the floor, defend and stretch the floor offensively

#2 G Ja'Niya Broome, 5-10, So. (South Georgia Technical College): Quick on-the-ball defender who can knock down outside shots

#5 G Skye Owen, 5-8, R-Sr. (St. John's): Was eighth in steal percentage in the Big East at St. John's

#11 G Bailey Harris, 6-0, Fr.: Broke the school scoring record with 2,023 points in high school

#21 G Taliyah Parker, 6-1, Jr. (TCU): Member of an Elite Eight team at TCU who will look for an expanded role at Florida

#24 F Mallory Miller, 6-4, R-Jr. (Butler): South Dakota native who led Butler in scoring and assists last season

#34 C Maja Bigovic, 6-5, Fr.: Member of the Montenegrin national team for three years, averaging more than eight points and six rebounds in international play

2027 recruiting class

In addition to this year's roster, the Gators have locked in a 2027 recruiting class that could be rated in the top 10 nationally by season's end. The commitments include four-star recruits:

Wing Bella Owumi, 6-0, Tilton School (N.H.)

G Maddie Mignery, 6-0, IMG Academy (Fla.)

F Aila Courtenay, 6-2, St. Francis (Ga.)

PG Anna Moser, 6-0, Hoosac Valley (Mass.)

The Florida women return to action Thursday, Nov. 5, at 4:30 p.m. ET against in-state foe UCF as part of a basketball doubleheader. The men's team hosts Jacksonville at 8 p.m. in its home debut.

More from GatorBait: the full Florida women's basketball roster, season stats and schedule.

Statistics: FloridaGators.com box score. Hear Buddy Martin and the crew break down the Gators live on The Buddy Martin Show, Monday through Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on YouTube.

Photo courtesy UAA (University Athletic Association, FloridaGators.com) and Bryce Walker (UAA Communications). See the official Florida Gators photo gallery from the Bucknell game at FloridaGators.com.