HEAD COACH KRISTY CURRY

Alabama women’s basketball head coach Kristy Curry enters her 10th season at the helm of the program in 2022-23.

It did not take long to realize that Kristy Curry was just who Alabama needed to take over the reins as head coach of the women's basketball program. Since being formally introduced on May 16, 2013, Curry and her staff have established a culture that has helped the Crimson Tide make positive strides, both on and off the court, year after year. Beyond her commitment to the Capstone, in an effort to encourage positive growth in college women’s basketball, Curry also served as a mentor for the 2021-22 WBCA Coach to Coach Mentoring Program, which aimed to bring coaches and staffs together during the season to share ideas, confront challenges and learn from each other’s experiences.

In each of Curry’s nine seasons, she has produced significant wins and new milestones. Overall, Alabama has won 153 games under Curry, bringing her overall head coaching record to 462-281 (.622) in 23 seasons.

During the 2021-22 season, Curry guided the Crimson Tide to a 20-14 record, a Southeastern Conference quarterfinals appearance and a Women’s National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals appearance. It marked the third time in the last six seasons that Curry has guided Alabama to a 20-plus win season, while she is the only coach to lead a Crimson Tide women’s basketball team to a 20-plus win season in the last two decades.

Alabama won eight of its last 11 games, including six of its last eight games, to conclude the 2021-22 season. That run was highlighted by a pair of top-25 wins, including defeating then-No. 12/8 Tennessee and then-No. 24/21 Georgia, and featured a 2-1 record at the SEC Tournament and a 3-1 record in the WNIT. The Crimson Tide was one of just three teams to win at least two games at the SEC Tournament, joining the company of the SEC Regular Season Champions and the SEC Tournament Champions.

Under Curry’s watch, Megan Abrams reached the 1,000-point club and was also named to the SEC Community Service Team, while Brittany Davis was named an SEC Player of the Week and an All-SEC Second Team selection, concluding the season breaking a school record with 93 three-point field goals and leading the SEC in 3FGM (93) and 3FGPG (2.74). Alabama also broke the three-decade old, single-season, three-point field goals made school record, knocking down a combined 269 shots from long range.

The Crimson Tide broke barriers in a unique 2020-21 season, earning its first bid to the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in more than two decades (1999). It marked Alabama's 11th all-time appearance at the Big Dance, while it marked Curry's first at the helm of the program and her 10th as a head coach overall – seven bids at Purdue and two bids at Texas Tech. The seventh-seeded Crimson Tide defeated 10th-seeded North Carolina (80-71) in the first round, paced by Jordan Lewis' 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

Despite operating within the confines of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alabama put together a 17-10 record in 2020-21, posting its fewest losses since going 24-10 in 1997-98. The Crimson Tide also won eight SEC games for the second season in a row, a feat that hadn't been achieved since 1996-97 – 1997-98. Alabama got off to a hot start in league action after winning five of its first seven SEC games for the first time since 1997-98, including a ranked triumph at No. 14 Mississippi State on Jan. 14 (86-78). UA concluded the season ranked first in the league in free-throw percentage (75.4) and second in the league in 3-pointers (224) and 3-pointers per game (8.3).

Both Lewis and Jasmine Walker earned 2021 All-SEC Honors, the first time that the Tide has placed at least two on the All-SEC First and-or Second Teams in the same season since 1998. Lewis (Second Team) ended the season second in the conference in assists (72), while Walker (First Team) ended the season as the only player ranked in the top six in the conference in both scoring (19.1) and rebounding (9.4).

To conclude a historic season for the Crimson Tide, Walker was selected as the seventh pick in the first round of the 2021 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. The standout forward became the first Alabama women's basketball player to be drafted since 2005, while she was just the second to go in the first round behind Tausha Mills. The 2021 WBCA Coaches' All-America Regional Finalist reset the single-game scoring record during the season, posting 41 points at Auburn on Feb. 14.

In 2019-20, Curry continued to push the program in the right direction after leading the team to an 18-12 record, with the 18 regular season wins being the most for an Alabama team since 1997-98. In SEC play, UA posted an 8-8 mark, which was the first time since 2001-02 that the Tide finished .500 in the league. The eight wins were also the most since 1997-98.

Alabama played its best basketball at the end of the year after winning four-straight conference games to close out the regular season. The four-game win streak was the longest SEC streak since 1998. During the win streak, Alabama made program history after defeating back-to-back top 15 opponents for the first time, when the squad downed No. 9 Mississippi State in Starkville, 66-64, on Feb. 23 and then followed up that performance with a double-digit victory against No. 12 Texas A&M, 76-63, on Feb. 27 in College Station. The victory over the Aggies was also the first in program history and earned the Tide eight votes in the March 4 USA Today Coaches Poll.

The Crimson Tide also swept the season series against in-state rival Auburn for the first time since 2002. Its 75-48 dismantling of the Tigers on Jan. 12 was the biggest margin of victory for Alabama in Auburn.

The Tide was in the mix for its first NCAA Tournament bid in 21 years before the COVID-19 pandemic cut the basketball season short. In addition to the success of the 2019-20 season, Curry became only the 10th coach ever to lead three different NCAA women's basketball programs to 100 wins after picking up her 100th victory at Alabama on Nov. 17 against Mercer.

Another historic feat was accomplished under Curry's tenure in 2019-20, when Lewis was named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the first time in program history for her excellent performance on the court, in the classroom and in the community.

In 2018-19, Curry earned her 400th career victory after the Crimson Tide defeated Northwestern State 87-73 on Dec. 16. A month later, Curry and the Crimson Tide defeated No. 20 Tennessee, 86-65, on Jan. 17 for the fifth consecutive time, becoming only the eighth program in history to win five or more consecutive games against the Lady Vols and the only Southeastern Conference team to complete that feat. The 21-point win also marked the largest win over the Lady Vols in the two program's history. To close out the month of January, Alabama picked up its first win in Athens, Ga., since 1997 as the Tide downed the Lady Bulldogs, 58-53, on Jan. 27. The win snapped a 12-game road losing streak to Georgia.

In 2017-18, UA earned its first victory in program history in Knoxville against Tennessee and graduated its winningest senior class in 16 years in Quanetria Bolton, Hannah Cook, Alana da Silva, Coco Knight, Meoshonti Knight and Ashley Williams. This group, along with several other key role players, helped Alabama record back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since the late 90s. In addition, the team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament in both 2017 and 2018 and made an appearance in the 2017 SEC Tournament quarterfinals, a first for the Tide in over a decade.

Three of Alabama's 2018 seniors – Cook, Meo Knight and Williams – joined the 1,000-point club, marking the first time in program history that Alabama has had three 1,000-point scorers on the same team. Cook finished her career eighth in the UA record books in scoring (1,468) while also ranking first in three-point field goal attempts (781) and fourth in makes (262). Williams also had a record-setting career, finishing her four years in the crimson and white fifth in rebounding (859) and ninth in scoring (1,450).

In 2016-17, Ashley Knight and Lewis were two of the most impactful freshmen in the league. Knight led the SEC in overall blocks, becoming the first Alabama student-athlete in history to do so, and set the Alabama single-season record with her 90 rejections. Lewis, who started every game at the point guard position, became the Tide's first Associated Press SEC Newcomer of the Year and was named SEC Freshman of the Week five times.

During the 2015-16 season, Curry guided Alabama to a win over women's basketball powerhouse Tennessee, which was the first since 1984, ending a 42-game losing streak to the Lady Volunteers, and the first victory in the series in program history in Tuscaloosa. The Tide also made it back to the postseason after having been out for five consecutive years.

In 2014-15, Alabama reached double-digit wins in non-conference play for the first time since 2010, which included a victory over then 12th-ranked Nebraska.

Curry's inaugural season at the Capstone saw seven Southeastern Conference victories, marking the most since the 2001-02 season. Included in those wins was the first in Lexington against Kentucky since 2002, the first against Georgia since 2004, to snap a 23-game losing streak to the Lady Bulldogs, and the first in program history at Vanderbilt's Memorial Gym.

Attendance has also increased each year of Curry's tenure. While playing games at Foster Auditorium, her squads set new single-game attendance records each season, with the most recent on Jan. 17, 2016, when 3,732 were on hand for the Tide's win over Georgia.

Another area that has seen dramatic improvement is the team's involvement in community service. The program has taken part in several activities throughout local communities and established its Community Caravan. Alabama has visited and worked with several local organizations and groups such as Habitat for Humanity, DCH and the VA Hospitals, Alberta Head Start, Walk to End Alzheimer's, Hoops for Heart at Huntington Place Elementary School, Upward Basketball, MDA Lock-Up, playing games and serving dessert to the residents of Capstone Village Retirement Community, making gingerbread houses with the students of the CrossingPoints transition program, Project Angel Tree and the program's annual 5th Grade Fastbreak. The team was recognized for its efforts during the athletic department's 2013-14 year-end banquet as the women's team with the most service hours throughout the year.

Curry also received a special honor of her own at the 2014 Women's Basketball Coaches' Association Convention in Nashville, Tenn., as she was awarded the Kay Yow Heart of a Coach Award, presented by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The award, established in 2008 to honor the late Kay Yow, recognizes a basketball coach who has coached according to Biblical principles, and to the heart, body and mind of the athlete.

Prior to arriving at The Capstone, Curry spent seven seasons at the helm of the Texas Tech Lady Raider basketball program where she compiled a record of 130-98 (570). She guided the Lady Raiders to a 21-11 record in 2012-13 and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.

In her final season in Lubbock, senior guards Monique Smalls, Casey Morris and Chynna Brown picked up All-Big 12 Conference Team honors in 2012-13, led by Brown as a first-team selection. Tech was the only Big 12 team to have all three starting backcourt members named to the all-conference team.

In addition to her time on the court, Curry has spent time off the court contributing on several national and regional committees. She currently is a member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, serving on the Defensive Player of the Year Award committee and is also a member of the USA Today Sports Board of Coaches that votes on the NCAA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll.

After establishing herself as one of the most successful women's basketball coaches in Purdue history, where she coached from 1999-2006, Curry took over the reins of the tradition-rich program at Texas Tech on March 30, 2006.

On Nov. 23, 2007, Curry added another milestone to her resume as she captured her 200th career win in a 78-56 victory over Kennesaw State. That 2007-08 season also saw the Lady Raiders return to postseason play, as they competed in the WNIT.

In her first stint as a head coach, Curry was hired at Purdue in April of 1999, becoming the first women's basketball coach in NCAA history to inherit a national championship-winning team. She led her first squad to four straight wins in the 1999-2000 season, extending Purdue's school-record win streak to 34 consecutive games, a mark that ranks sixth in NCAA history.

During her seven years at the helm of the Boilermakers, Curry compiled a record of 179-51 (.778) and was 86-26 (.768) in Big Ten Conference games. Curry's teams won two Big Ten regular-season (2001, `02) and three Big Ten Tournament (2000, `03, `04) championships. She also guided her teams to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Final Four and championship game in 2001. Curry became only the second coach in NCAA history to guide her team to the NCAA championship game in her second year as a head coach.

In her fourth season at Purdue, Curry collected her 100th career coaching win with a 74-48 victory against Indiana on Feb. 27, 2003. Curry needed only 126 games to reach that milestone, getting there faster than any coach in Purdue history. Curry also recorded her 100th victory quicker than coaching icons such as the late Pat Summitt of Tennessee, Geno Auriemma of Connecticut, Tara VanDerveer of Stanford and Jody Conradt of Texas.

Not only did Curry have successful teams, but she also had coached some very successful student-athletes in West Lafayette. Under Curry's leadership at Purdue, Katie Douglas became the third player in Big Ten history, and the first Purdue player, to earn two Kodak All-America honors (2000, 2001). Douglas was the 2000 and 2001 Big Ten Player of the Year and was named the 2001 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year. A two-time All-Big Ten pick, Douglas is one of six Purdue players from the Curry era to earn first team all-conference honors. Lubbock native Erika Valek, a four-year starting point guard for the Boilermakers, capped her career by receiving the 2004 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation's top player under 5-foot-8.

Curry began coaching in her home state of Louisiana, as she started at the prep level as a head coach at Weston (1988-90) and Mansfield (1990-91) high schools. From there, Curry quickly moved to the college ranks as an assistant at Tulane for two seasons (1991-93). She then spent a year at Stephen F. Austin (1993-94) before moving on to Texas A&M for the next two seasons (1994-96).

She later returned to the state of Louisiana to be an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech for Hall of Famer Leon Barmore, during three seasons from 1996-99. In 1996-97, Louisiana Tech went 31-4 and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. The Lady Techsters then posted another 31-4 record in 1997-98 and finished as the NCAA runner-up. In Curry's final season in Ruston, Louisiana Tech went 30-3 and advanced to the NCAA Final Four.

Off the court, Curry has placed a high priority on giving back to the community. She has been heavily involved with several organizations, including: the American Cancer Society Coaches vs. Cancer, Joe Arrington Cancer Center, Junior League, of Lubbock, Salvation Army, South Plains Food Bank, Women's Protective Services, Komen for the Cure, Ronald McDonald House, UMC Children's Center, AMBUC's of Lubbock, Shoes for Orphan Souls, Toys for Tots, United Way, Girl Scouts and Habitat for Humanity.

A highly sought-after guest speaker, Curry was a keynote speaker for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal's “A Time for Women” event and has been a spokeswoman for the Muscular Dystrophy Association's “Aisles of Smiles.” Curry also has made personal appearances for numerous fundraising events and has recorded several public service announcements.

A native of Olla, La., Curry graduated from LaSalle High School and then went on to earn her bachelor of science degree in health and physical education at Northeast Louisiana in 1988. She earned a master's degree in education at Stephen F. Austin in 1994.

Curry and her husband Kelly have two daughters, Kelsey and Kendall.