Alabama women’s basketball is going to be looking for a new head coach, and it’s not necessarily by design. The Crimson Tide’s head coach since 2013, Kristy Curry, has elected to leave the program to take the opening at South Florida, the school announced on Tuesday.
The Bulls’ job opened up after head coach Jose Fernando took a job in the WNBA, coaching the Dallas Wings. USF tabbed an interim head coach, Michele Woods-Baxter, for the 2025-26 season, but went with the outside hire of Curry after finishing 20-12 (13-5 American) and missing the NCAA Tournament.
“I would like to thank Rob Higgins for the tremendous opportunity to lead a proud South Florida women’s basketball program,” Curry said in a statement. “A strong foundation is in place, and I look forward to building on it as we pursue conference championships and NCAA Tournament success. Rob and the University’s commitment to competing at the highest level—along with the clear vision and alignment at USF—are truly exceptional. I can’t wait to meet Bulls Nation and experience a rocking Yuengling Center.”
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Curry led Alabama to a 24-11 (7-9 SEC) record this past season. The Tide earned a six-seed in the NCAA Tournament, beating 11-seed Rhode Island in the opening round. URI head coach Tammi Reiss has since taken the head coaching job at Florida. Alabama went on to lose to three-seed Louisville by just one point on the road in the Round of 32.
Curry had never made it out of the first weekend during her time leading the Tide. She made the second round in each of the past three seasons and appeared in the NCAA Tournament in five of the past six seasons, though.
Prior to her time at Alabama, Curry was the head coach at Texas Tech from 2006-13. There, she made two NCAA Tournament appearances before being hired by the Tide. Before that, she coached Purdue from 1999-2006, leading the Boilermakers to a pair of Elite Eights, including being the national runner-up in 2001.
