With Newbauer Out, Stricklin Needs To Get The Right Person In
Florida fans love to call the University of Florida the “everything school”.
And they have that right.
As an athletic association, the Gators have captured national titles across 15 sports. From the ranks of men’s tennis, which was the most recent Florida program to be crowned champions, to to the combined six national titles that baseball, men's basketball and football have won, the University of Florida can boast 42 national championships.
On top of national championships, the Gators have scrounged together a conference-leading 241 SEC conference championships across 20 sports. Florida’s lacrosse team, which competes in the American conference and previously competed in the Big East, has also tallied 10 conference championships since the program’s inception in 2006.
However, as spread out as Florida’s athletic successes are, perhaps the Gators are better referred to as the “almost everything school.”
This is because the Gators’ women’s basketball program continues to be a black eye for Florida’s athletic association.
And to those who brush it off because “it’s just women’s basketball”, they shouldn’t. Like women’s sports around the country, college women’s basketball is growing in popularity. And if I’m the University of Florida, I want a piece of that pie.
But what has transpired within the Gators’ women’s basketball program within the last week certainly doesn’t give Florida a good look.
Just weeks after receiving a contract extension, which secured his job into the 2025 season, Florida Gators women’s basketball coach Cam Newbauer shockingly stepped down from his post on July 16. Newbauer’s departure hit the program just under 120 days before the Gators open their 2021-22 campaign in November.
When Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin extended Newbauer in June, he spoke highly of the women’s hoops coach who came by way of Belmont University in Nashville.
“Cam is building his program the right way and making steady progress,” Stricklin said. “It’s important that he have the time needed to continue that progress.”
Newbauer, who was Stricklin’s first hire at Florida, replaced long-time coach Amanda Butler in 2017.
Having been the only sport on campus which had yet to win a conference title, the goal was pretty obvious, but far from reached.
In his tenure at Florida, Newbauer collected an overall record of 46-71 and 15-47 in conference play.
Despite the less-than-impressive numbers, the program seemed to have been improving under Newbauer, who went 11-19 in his first year, 8-23 his second year, 15-15 in year three and then 12-14 last season.
The 2019-20 season showed the most promise from the Newbauer-led Gators as they went .500 on the year and recorded six conference wins, which was as many as the previous two years combined.
In the 2020-21 season, the Gators posed a six-game win streak, which for the state of the program, shouldn’t be understated.
However, what has transpired in the last week erases even the smallest of victories that Newbauer accomplished during his time in Gainesville.
Two days prior to Newbauer’s announcement, Florida’s star guard Lavender Briggs entered her name into the transfer portal.
Briggs, who is arguably one of the best players to play for Florida out of high school, averaged 32.2 points per game in high school, which was a state record in her home state of Utah.
The five-star recruit went on to lead Florida’s scoring efforts in her freshman (2019-20) and sophomore (2020-21) seasons. Briggs missed the last eight games of last season due to a foot injury.
It’s unclear whether Briggs will withdraw her name from the transfer portal or if she will continue to seek other opportunities.
However, tweets from Jordan Jones, a former Florida Gators women’s basketball player, indicate that perhaps Newbauer was the problem within the program.
“The girls on the team now have been through a lot and only going to get tougher after I assume there will be a bit of turnover with the roster,” she tweeted. “Hire someone they can trust. Someone they can relate to. Someone that will be tough on them but not break them.
It’s unclear what Jones knows about the program that others don’t, but signs point to a less-than-favorable culture within the program.
In Newbauer’s official announcement he cited “personal reasons”.
“After much reflection, my family and I have come to the difficult decision to step away. Gator Nation and the Gainesville community have accepted me, my wife Sarah and our three daughters from the day we arrived. We will greatly miss all of the people that have made our experience and make this place so special,” Newbauer said. "There are many people who I am forever grateful for, but I especially want to thank all of the players who I had the privilege to coach. I have no doubt that the program we built is poised for great success."
Following Newbauer’s departure, Kelly Rae Finley was announced as the interim head coach for the 2021-22 season.
Finley has been a part of Florida’s program for four years and was brought in by Newbauer.
Prior to Florida, Finley assisted at Arizona, Colorado and Harvard. In her 13-year coaching career, Finley has built a reputation for herself as a recruiter.
According to Scott Stricklin, Florida will hold off until the conclusion of the upcoming season to announce a long-term hire.
For Stricklin, it will be the second women’s basketball coach he will have hired in his time at Florida.
But this time, the importance of getting the right person into Gainesville feels to have a heavier weight to it.
With the right person, the athletic association might finally be able to tweeze the women’s basketball-shaped thorn out of its side.
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