Finley becomes the first coach in Florida history and second-consecutive SEC coach to win the award.
ATLANTA – After a spectacular run during the 2021-22 campaign, Florida women’s basketball head coach Kelly Rae Finley has been named the Maggie Dixon Division I Rookie Coach of the Year, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced Wednesday morning.
The award honors a WBCA member NCAA Division I head coach who has led their team to a successful season during their first year on the sideline. It is named in honor of the late Maggie Dixon, who in her inaugural season as the Army head coach, led the Black Knights to the 2006 Patriot League title and their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship tournament. Dixon, 29, died of an undiagnosed heart condition just weeks after on April 6, 2006.
“Success in your first year as a head coach is generally a difficult feat. When a new head coach demonstrates a mastery of managing all aspects of a program, as well as producing success in competition, our coaching family pays respectful attention. The WBCA is proud to announce Kelly Rae Finley as the winner of the 2022 Spalding Maggie Dixon DI Rookie Coach of the Year award,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “Kelly Rae led her team to a remarkable season. We celebrate her effort and effectiveness on the basketball court as a teacher and equally applaud the extensive role she plays in impacting the lives of her student-athletes.”
“Spalding, together with the WBCA, is proud to celebrate coach Kelly Rae Finley as the 2022 Spalding Maggie Dixon NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year,” said Matt Murphy, Spalding VP and general manager. “Coach Finley exemplifies the leadership, mentorship and dedication to excellence that this award is about both on and off the court. We wish Coach Finley and all the student-athletes she inspires continued success.”
Finely, officially named head coach on Feb. 28, 2022, led the Gators to their best season since the 2015-16 campaign during her opening year at the helm. The Orange & Blue ended the season with a 21-11 season, the first 20-win season since 2016, while also earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the same year.
The 20 wins by the Gators marked just the 16th time in program history that UF has crossed the 20-win threshold, in addition to winning 10 Southeastern Conference games for just the fourth time in program history.
Tying for fourth in the conference and securing the fifth seed in the SEC Tournament, the Gators defeated five ranked opponents for the first time since the 2005-06 season, including five nationally ranked opponents in the SEC for the first time since 2004. A victory of note, Florida earned their largest margin of victory over a top-10 team when they defeated No. 7 Tennessee, 84-59, handing the Lady Vols their worst loss against an unranked squad since the AP Poll debuted in 1976.
Under her continued tutelage, graduate Kiara Smith continued to improve, leading the team this season with 14.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game. In SEC play, the District Heights, Md., native averaged 17.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game, helping her to two SEC Player of the Week honors during the year in addition to First Team All-SEC honors.
After being named the recipient of the Spalding Maggie Dixon Rookie Coach of the Year award, Finley becomes the fourth coach from the SEC to earn the award, joining Holly Warlick (Tennessee, 2013), Joni Taylor (Georgia, 2016) and Kyra Elzy (Kentucky, 2021).
Prior to her time as the interim head coach, Finley held roles as both the associate head coach and assistant coach for the Gators, playing an important role in the development of athletes such as Kiara Smith and Jordyn Merritt. Acting as the main recruiter, Finley played an integral part of rebuilding the roster upon arrival in Gainesville, helping to sign the No. 26 overall recruiting class in the nation in 2019, according to ProspectsNation.
Finley recorded stints at Arizona (2016-17), Colorado (2012-16) and Harvard (2009-12) before joining the Gators women’s basketball staff. At Arizona, Finley helped to bring in the No. 34 recruiting class in the nation, which included three state players of the year, while also helping Colorado achieve a similar feat with a top-25 nationally-ranked class in 2015.
During her time at Harvard, Finley assisted in the signing of Temitop Fagbenle, the Ivy League’s first ever McDonald’s All-American and second Olympian.
A Minnesota native, Finley graduated from Colorado State in 2008 where she earned Mountain West Conference Scholar-Athlete honors as a member of the women’s basketball team.
Florida’s Accomplishments under Finley
– First NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2016 season
– First 20-win season since the 2015-16 campaign
– Recorded 10 SEC wins for just the fourth time in program history
– Defeated five ranked opponents for the first time since 2005-06
– Defeated five ranked SEC opponents for the first time since 2004-05
– Won six SEC matchups on the road, the most since the 2000-01 season
– Reached highest rank in the AP Poll since the 2008-09 season, going as high as No. 15
– Earned largest-margin of victory over a top-10 school with an 84-59 victory over No. 7 Tennessee
– The victory over Tennessee was the first time that Florida defeated the Lady Vols by more than 10 points
– Florida handed Tennessee their worst loss against an unranked opponent since the AP Poll debuted in 1976
– Handed No. 23 Kentucky their worst home loss since Jan. 27, 2008 with a 77-52 victory
– Recorded a 19-point comeback at No. 25 Texas A&M to earn the program’s first-ever victory in College Station, Texas
– Won 10 non-conference games for the first time since 2015-16 season
Maggie Dixon Award Recipients
2006-07: Krista Kilburn-Stevesky, Hofstra
2007-08: Jeff Walz, Louisville
2008-09: Kelly Packard, Ball State
2009-10: Teresa Weatherspoon, Louisiana Tech
2010-11: Stephanie Glance, Illinois State
2011-12: Jennifer Hoover, High Point
2012-13: Holly Warlick, Tennessee
2013-14: Billi Godsey, Iona
2014-15: Lisa Fortier, Gonzaga
2015-16: Joni Taylor, Georgia
2016-17: Shauna Green, Dayton
2017-18: Bart Brooks, Belmont
2018-19: Carlos Funchess, Southern
2019-20: Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, Missouri State
2020-21: Kyra Elzy, Kentucky
2021-22: Kelly Rae Finley, Florida
– #GoGators –
