STrib: Kelly Rae Finley Leads Florida Gator's Turn Around

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Former Minnesota prep star Kelly Rae Finley leads Florida women's basketball turnaround

Basketball Across Minnesota: Finley took over the program as interim coach before the Gators removed the interim tag this week.

www.startribune.com

Marcus Fuller:

When Kelly Rae Finley saw attention building on her impressive turnaround with the Florida women's basketball program this season, she made it a habit to remind people of her Midwest roots.

"It's always good to remember where you started," Finley said. "I'm just a girl from Minnesota."

The 36-year-old Minneapolis native and former Breck standout took over a Gators team immersed in scandal last summer under former coach Cameron Newbauer and coming off a 12-14 season. Under Finley's leadership as interim coach, they surpassed 20 wins and are in firm contention for a NCAA tournament bid.

That has folks around the country, and not just the Twin Cities, recognizing a rising star in the coaching ranks.

She's among 15 candidates for national coach of the year honors, a list including league peers like South Carolina's Dawn Staley and LSU's Kim Mulkey.

Both Staley and Mulkey publicly endorsed Florida lifting the interim tag on Finley.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Trailing by 14 in the third quarter, the 5th seeded Gators rallied to defeat 13 seeded Vanderbilt 53-52. Florida's only lead of the game came with 8 seconds remaining. Ex Rutgers guard, Zippy Broughton, played well for the Gators.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Florida coach Finley's new contract worth $3.7M

Florida women's basketball coach Kelly Rae Finley's recently signed five-year contract is worth $740,000 annually.

www.espn.com

Some contract numbers for SEC coaches:

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida women's basketball coach Kelly Rae Finley's recently signed five-year contract is worth $740,000 annually.

The University Athletic Association released her contract Wednesday in response to a public records request. Finley signed it March 1, two days after agreeing to terms on the $3.7 million deal.

She's the fourth-highest-paid head coach on Florida's campus, behind football's Billy Napier ($7.1 million annually), men's basketball's Mike White ($3.2 million) and baseball's Kevin O'Sullivan ($1.4 million).

Including Texas and Oklahoma, which are scheduled to join the league during the terms of Finley's contract, the average annual compensation for SEC women's basketball coaches is $1.02 million. South Carolina's Dawn Staley tops the league at $2.9 million annually, with LSU's Kim Mulkey making $2.5 million in her first season in Baton Rouge.

Finley, 36, will make $450,000 in base salary a year, $175,000 more than her predecessor, Cam Newbauer. She will get another $290,000 annually in allowances and incentives: a $4,000 academic bonus; a $25,000 apparel deal with Nike; $40,000 in travel on UAA planes; a $50,000 expense account; a $71,000 talent bonus; and a $100,000 longevity bonus.

Finley also gets use of a dealer car and can earn additional performance bonuses by winning the SEC or by making and/or advancing in the NCAA Tournament.

Her deal does not include a buyout, meaning Florida would be on the hook for her entire remaining salary (minus mitigation) if it fired her without cause. Finley would owe the school $250,000 a year for every year remaining on the contract if she left for another job.