July 15, 2021
Florida expected to part ways with head coach Cam Newbauer
By Tee Baker
Junior Lavender Briggs enters the transfer portal
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Multiple sources have informed The Next that Florida is expected to part ways with head women’s basketball coach Cam Newbauer in the coming days.
Newbauer completed his fourth season as the head coach of the University of Florida women’s basketball program and the eighth season overall as a women’s Division 1 head coach in 2020-21. From 2013-2017 he was head coach at Belmont University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Under his leadership, Belmont reached the postseason three times, including NCAA Tournament berths during Cam’s last two seasons as head coach.
Florida has had a cumulative record of 46-71 under Newbauer’s leadership since 2017. This past season, the Gators secured their first postseason victory since 2014 with a 66-65 victory over Charlotte to advance to the second round of the WNIT. In early June, the university extended Newbauer’s contract. Before the extension, Newbauer had one season remaining on a five-year deal paying him $500,000 annually. The three-year extension was scheduled to keep him at UF through 2024-2025.
At the time of the contract extension, Florida Athletics Director Scott Stricklin said, “Cam is building his program the right way and making steady progress. It’s important that he have the time needed to continue that progress.”
The Next has also confirmed that Florida junior Lavender Briggs has entered the transfer portal. Briggs averaged 19.4 points per game and was named to All-SEC second team as a sophomore in 2021, becoming the first UF player in five years to earn that honor. The Provo, Utah native is just the third player in program history to lead the team in points per game in both her freshman and sophomore seasons.
The Next is working to confirm the reasons for Florida’s decision to part with coach Newbauer. The university is expected to announce the decision within the next few days.
Written by Tee Baker
Tee has been a contributor to The Next since March Madness 2021 and is currently a contributing editor, BIG EAST beat reporter and curator of historical deep dives.
