Tammi Reiss Makes SEC Media Day Debut with Rebuilt Gators, Big Ambitions

When Gators women’s basketball coach Tammi Reiss looked around the SEC and saw prominent coaches like Dawn Staley (South Carolina), Vic Schaefer (Texas), Kim Mulkey (LSU) and Yolett McPhee-McCuin (Ole Miss), she knew she wanted to insert her name among the bunch. 

Now, Reiss will get the opportunity after she made the move from Rhode Island to Gainesville on March 23, after Florida parted ways with Kelly Rae Finley, becoming the 12th head coach in program history. And the three-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year couldn’t hide her excitement, taking the podium with a grin at her first SEC Basketball Tipoff ’27. 

“I want to just start with opening remarks of how excited I am to be at the University of Florida and how excited I am to be in what I consider the best league in America: SEC women’s basketball,” Reiss said. “If you’re any kind of a competitor, which I am, you want to be in this league.”

Reiss’ introduction didn’t follow the typical summarization of coaching history and accolades. Instead, the former three-time All-American at the University of Virginia slipped in facts about her acting career, appearing in films such as “Juwanna Mann,” and a love for holidays, in addition to leading Rhode Island to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 30 years during the 2025-26 season. 

But the unconventional introduction was intentional. 

“I want you to know I’m not just a basketball coach,” Reiss said. “I’ve done a lot of different things throughout my career, and I think balance is important in anything you do.”

Reiss spent two seasons in the WNBA with the Utah Starzz before gaining business experience as the owner of the Manhattan Club for 10 years in Salt Lake City. And becoming a jack of all trades continues serving her, especially in the NIL era, as she looks to build a Florida program with a completely reconstructed roster, consisting of 10 transfers, two freshmen and one returnee. 

The business experience paid off as Reiss nabbed the No. 17 Women’s NCAA basketball transfer Kiyomi McMiller on April 27, who averaged 21.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game at Penn State. 

“That’s where I think all my hobbies and all the other things that have touched me in a different way have really made me a better coach on and off the court,” Reiss said. “Sometimes some of the things you experience, I tell our players all the time, they’ll improve you as a person, whether it’s your leadership, whether it’s knowledge, and that’s what my other hobbies have done for me a great deal.”

When tasked with building a roster from scratch, Reiss focused on acquiring pieces who could help mold a winning culture because she understands team buy-in brings championships, not just talent. For Reiss, laying down the foundation started in the summer, building chemistry through team workouts, off-court bonding activities like a scavenger hunt through Gainesville, and player-organized pick-up games. 

“The thing I’m most proud of is every one of those players right now are all in,” Reiss said. “They show up every day, they give me everything they got, and they do it the right way, and we can build on that. That’s how championships are won.” 

Reiss is well aware she is inheriting a program that has fallen short of the standard, as the only team without a conference title in program history. The Gators own just one winning record in SEC play in the last 10 years and have not won an NCAA tournament game since 2014 nor made an appearance since 2022.

Luckily, Reiss has a knack for building. She spent 2019-2026 at Rhode Island, where she became the all-time winningest coach in program history (138 wins) and led the team to a program-best 28 wins on the road to their first Atlantic 10 Tournament title in 2026. 

Part of Reiss’ secret to success stems from her friendship with Staley, who she became best friends with when the two roomed and played together at Virginia from 1988 to 1992. 

“She showed you the blueprint on how to rebuild a program brick by brick, from the fan base to recruiting, every aspect, marketing, whatever it was, and I really picked her brain about this job and the SEC and the University of Florida,” Reiss said. “Anytime I’ve ever called Dawn, she picks up, and it’s, ‘Whatever you need, sister.’” 

While the Gators look almost unrecognizable from the 2025-26 squad, which finished 5-11 in SEC play, Reiss is ready to dive in with a new squad to launch the Gators into prominence. While many aren’t high on the Gators as the team enters the season ranked No. 12 in the 2026-27 SEC Preseason Media Poll, Reiss is all in. 

As she does after each media appearance, Reiss signed off her first SEC media appearance, hitting the Gator chomp with one final note: “Go Gators.”

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Women's Basketball