Kristy Curry Named Head Coach of USF Women’s Basketball

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TAMPA – University of South Florida CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins has named veteran SEC head coach Kristy Curry as the sixth head coach of the Bulls women’s basketball program.

Curry, who led Purdue to the 2001 NCAA championship game, takes over a South Florida program that has made eight NCAA Tournament appearances and won four conference titles since 2015. She comes to Tampa after leading the women’s basketball program at Alabama for the last 13 seasons, guiding the Crimson Tide to the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six seasons and posting 20-win seasons in each of the last five years. Her 2025-26 team went 24-11 and, as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, fell by a point (69-68) to No. 3 seed Louisville in the second round. 

“I’m thrilled to welcome Kristy Curry to our Bulls family as the leader of our outstanding women’s basketball program,” Higgins said. “Kristy is a proven winner at the highest levels, with head coaching success across the Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC. She has guided her teams to the NCAA championship game and built an exceptional resume that includes 16 20-win seasons and 21 postseason appearances over 27 years as a head coach. I’m incredibly excited about the future of South Florida women’s basketball under her leadership.

“I want to sincerely thank Michele Woods-Baxter for her nearly two decades of dedicated service to the University of South Florida. She has meant so much to this program and this community, and I know I speak for all of Bulls Nation in expressing our deep gratitude. Michele and her staff led with unwavering passion, integrity, and class, and their commitment through the 2025–26 season will have a lasting impact on everyone connected to South Florida women’s basketball.”

Curry, who has compiled 27 highly successful seasons as a collegiate head coach, will be guiding her fourth program after previous head coaching stops at Purdue (1999-2006), Texas Tech (2006-13) and Alabama (2013-26). She has led three different teams to the NCAA Tournament, compiling 21 postseason appearances – 14 NCAA, 7 WNIT – and a 554-322 (.632) record as a head coach while logging 16 20-win seasons. Curry led Purdue to the 2001 NCAA Final Four and has two NCAA Elite Eight and four NCAA Sweet 16 appearances to her credit, while her teams captured three Big Ten Tournament titles and two Big Ten regular season championships.

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