Coach Flo Fired

[AU9377 4,913]

 

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Auburn announces women's basketball coaching change

AUBURN, Ala.—Auburn Director of Athletics Allen Greene announced Thursday a leadership change for the Auburn women's basketball program as Terri Williams-Flournoy will no longer lead the program.

In nine years, Williams-Flournoy compiled a 140-138 record including a 48-96 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Williams-Flournoy led Auburn to NCAA Tournament appearances three times in 2016, 2017 and 2019.

"This year was full of unexpected challenges. Coach Flo, her staff and our student-athletes should be commended for their attitude and effort in the face of disruption and adversity," Greene said. "Our women's basketball program under Coach Flo's leadership consistently represented Auburn with class on and off the court, and we are grateful for her nine years of dedicated service to our student-athletes and the Auburn Family. We wish her the very best in her future endeavors."

"I am grateful for the opportunity to have served Auburn University and the women's basketball program for the past nine seasons," Williams-Flournoy said. "It was a great honor and privilege and an experience I will cherish. I will forever be appreciative of our staff and student-athletes during our tenure and the way each represented Auburn with class and dignity.  As a change in leadership was determined, I would like to thank President Gogue and Allen Greene for their trust in my leadership over my time here.  Auburn will always hold a special place in my heart."

A national search for her replacement will begin immediately.

 

 

 

FINALLY.  We have to get this hire right. Of course, we can't get much lower than we are at the present time.

[steeleagle 2,945]

3 minutes ago, AU9377 said:

https://auburntigers.com/news/2021/3/4/auburn-announces-womens-basketball-coaching-change.aspx

 

FINALLY.  We have to get this hire right. Of course, we can't get much lower than we are at the present time.

True, but I think it's hard to get this right, within a WBB team. I don't know what type of budget this AD will allow for this basketball program.

[AU9377 4,913]

10 minutes ago, steeleagle said:

True, but I think it's hard to get this right, within a WBB team. I don't know what type of budget this AD will allow for this basketball program.

I don't think we have to increase the budget in any meaningful way.  We can hire a better coach and still realize a $200,000 discount, give or take.  Likewise, we could decide to make a splash hire and indeed need more funding.  In my opinion, we need the same commitment that was made for women's softball. Women's basketball, when winning, is very capable of contributing financially.  I'm not saying that it is a money generator at the moment, but it could become one.  If MS State and S Carolina can sell out every game, so can Auburn.  You just have to provide a product that people can be proud of.

I do believe that AG understands the need to show a commitment to the sport, especially given our willingness and commitment to spend on other sports, revenue generating or not.

[AUJarhead 70]

33 minutes ago, AU9377 said:

I do believe that AG understands the need to show a commitment to the sport, especially given our willingness and commitment to spend on other sports, revenue generating or not.

It's like you think it, and Justin Lee writes it.

https://oanow.com/sports/college/auburn/lee-results-won-t-come-unless-the-auburn-family-invests-in-women-s-basketball/article_ff84acfc-7d17-11eb-95f0-7372ca929fbf.html

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LEE: Results won’t come unless the Auburn Family invests in women’s basketball

 

[slot canyon 1,328]

I don't agree with Justin Lee seeming to place much of the blame on fan support.  A few years ago my wife and I would drive down for a game a couple of times a year but the play lately has not been such that we care to make the time or money investment.  Likewise, we tend not to attend bad movies or go to restaurants that serve bad food.  I respect the team for some of the effort they exhibited but as a consumer could not support the product.  They were even difficult to watch on TV as every game looked like th e same ol' helter - skelter strategy.  If the product improves I believe it will be supported.  To point a finger at the fans is looking in the wrong direction.  "Build it and they will come" I believe applies here.

[AU9377 4,913]

27 minutes ago, slot canyon said:

I don't agree with Justin Lee seeming to place much of the blame on fan support.  A few years ago my wife and I would drive down for a game a couple of times a year but the play lately has not been such that we care to make the time or money investment.  Likewise, we tend not to attend bad movies or go to restaurants that serve bad food.  I respect the team for some of the effort they exhibited but as a consumer could not support the product.  They were even difficult to watch on TV as every game looked like th e same ol' helter - skelter strategy.  If the product improves I believe it will be supported.  To point a finger at the fans is looking in the wrong direction.  "Build it and they will come" I believe applies here.

I can relate.  I had a family pack of 5 season tickets for years.  Once upon a time, it was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  We could take the niece and nephew and spend more on cokes and popcorn than anything else.  The frustration just got to be too much.  Watching this staff coach was like running head first into a block wall over and over and expecting it not to hurt.  Nell had a lot of success and that was followed by some struggles, but we were never without hope and we never lost faith in what she was doing.  Her level of involvement in the community was also an asset.  Hopefully, we can get back on the right path.

[steeleagle 2,945]

45 minutes ago, slot canyon said:

I don't agree with Justin Lee seeming to place much of the blame on fan support.  A few years ago my wife and I would drive down for a game a couple of times a year but the play lately has not been such that we care to make the time or money investment.  Likewise, we tend not to attend bad movies or go to restaurants that serve bad food.  I respect the team for some of the effort they exhibited but as a consumer could not support the product.  They were even difficult to watch on TV as every game looked like th e same ol' helter - skelter strategy.  If the product improves I believe it will be supported.  To point a finger at the fans is looking in the wrong direction.  "Build it and they will come" I believe applies here.

It's easy to do when you are a reporter and see a lack of attendance for so many years now. 

I can't address the issue with the Final Four banner reference he makes. Seems far fetched the reasoning. That's a picky reference point. 

But FLo other than 1 really good year, and barely a good year in the SEC, didn't generate a product that towards the end of each WBB season was in shape to compete for an SEC title. 

So how are you going to generate fan interest, when the product is not showing upward growth and promise. Even her recruiting( and someone would know more specifics here) was not upper level. Fortner had some really great recruiting years, and showed in a 30+ win season, but couldn't sustain it, I think bc she was ready to move on to other things.

It has to start w a coach, staff and resources that will give the fans and supporters someone that we feel CAN recruit better and has a offense/defense that can compete with the SEC programs that are at the top.

[AU9377 4,913]

This can happen and Ciampi wasn't the coach. 12,067 Auburn people packed in to watch their team.

https://auburntigers.com/news/2009/1/25/No_6_Auburn_Breaks_16_Game_Losing_Streak_To_No_10_Tennessee_With_84_68_Win.aspx

[warladytigers 172]

2 hours ago, slot canyon said:

I don't agree with Justin Lee seeming to place much of the blame on fan support.  A few years ago my wife and I would drive down for a game a couple of times a year but the play lately has not been such that we care to make the time or money investment.  Likewise, we tend not to attend bad movies or go to restaurants that serve bad food.  I respect the team for some of the effort they exhibited but as a consumer could not support the product.  They were even difficult to watch on TV as every game looked like th e same ol' helter - skelter strategy.  If the product improves I believe it will be supported.  To point a finger at the fans is looking in the wrong direction.  "Build it and they will come" I believe applies here.

Agreed.  I didn’t bother to purchase tickets this year, I could watch us lose in the comfort of my home.  Fans will show up to watch a team that actually has a chance to win.  That means the coach coaches a style that the players can play-not the one that she stubbornly refuses to change.  She didn’t have an offense and her shooters transferred and had success this year at their new institutions. (After she threw them under the bus at her presser last year).  It was past time to move on.  Looking forward to AGs hire as well as the staff that will be with her or him.

[keywest 138]

I was complete surprised Flo wasn't fired last year when her team quit and many transferred. It was past time for her to be fired and a year to late.

[AlaskanFAN 1,665]

If you build it they will come. Look what happened to men’s basketball when we hired CBP and he put a good product on the floor. Now will it happen overnight.....no. I think the women’s program is 2-3 years from good, provided we get the right coach and they can recruit players. Until that happens, the first 1-2 years are going to be rough. 

[ellitor 33,062]

Just now, keywest said:

I was complete surprised Flo wasn't fired last year when her team quit and many transferred. It was past time for her to be fired and a year to late.

I don't remember the team quitting on her. I remember Flo throwing the team under the bus basically telling the team to leave & half the girls abliged.

[chizhead 618]

Good riddance!

[PUB78 1,354]

About time! If I believed in reincarnation, I want to come back in my next life as a D1 HC as there is a golden parachute even if you are a miserable failure like Flo.

How much does AU have to pay her? She should be ashamed to take any additional money from AU.

[AUSage 9]

This was about 3-years overdue. During Coach Flo's tenure, she consistently exhibited the same issues: 1) She could not recruit at championship level. Her ability to assess and recruit nationally ranked talent was abysmal. 2) Once she had her recruits on campus, she did a horrible job of assessing who should be playing and in what positions (reminds me of a football coach we recently had). It was absolutely classless how she blamed her players...the players she signed...after last year's debacle. She should have been fired on the spot. 3) And the most obvious, consistent failure of Coach Flo during her entire tenure at Auburn is her utter inability to grasp even the most simple offensive concepts. In every single interview she gave trying to explain the most recent failure, she said "we have to play better defense." It apparently never occurred to her that you actually have run offensive sets and have at least one or two players on your team who can shoot the ball to have a chance. She acted as if the offense would simply take care of itself if she focused entirely on defensive basketball. It made her teams easy to scheme against and easy to defend (again, like a recent football coach we had). 

Anyway, I'm glad she's gone and look forward to a quality hire by AD Greene. 

[penguin149 390]

Glad AD Greene stepped up and did this.  Hopefully he can find a good fit for this program.  We're at a point almost anyone would be better!  Unique Thompson and others deserved a better coach than what they were dealt.

[augolf1716 21,096]

1 hour ago, AUSage said:

This was about 3-years overdue. During Coach Flo's tenure, she consistently exhibited the same issues: 1) She could not recruit at championship level. Her ability to assess and recruit nationally ranked talent was abysmal. 2) Once she had her recruits on campus, she did a horrible job of assessing who should be playing and in what positions (reminds me of a football coach we recently had). It was absolutely classless how she blamed her players...the players she signed...after last year's debacle. She should have been fired on the spot. 3) And the most obvious, consistent failure of Coach Flo during her entire tenure at Auburn is her utter inability to grasp even the most simple offensive concepts. In every single interview she gave trying to explain the most recent failure, she said "we have to play better defense." It apparently never occurred to her that you actually have run offensive sets and have at least one or two players on your team who can shoot the ball to have a chance. She acted as if the offense would simply take care of itself if she focused entirely on defensive basketball. It made her teams easy to scheme against and easy to defend (again, like a recent football coach we had). 

Anyway, I'm glad she's gone and look forward to a quality hire by AD Greene. 

Great post................Post more often one post in 14 years..... that has to be a record

[AU9377 4,913]

3 hours ago, AUSage said:

This was about 3-years overdue. During Coach Flo's tenure, she consistently exhibited the same issues: 1) She could not recruit at championship level. Her ability to assess and recruit nationally ranked talent was abysmal. 2) Once she had her recruits on campus, she did a horrible job of assessing who should be playing and in what positions (reminds me of a football coach we recently had). It was absolutely classless how she blamed her players...the players she signed...after last year's debacle. She should have been fired on the spot. 3) And the most obvious, consistent failure of Coach Flo during her entire tenure at Auburn is her utter inability to grasp even the most simple offensive concepts. In every single interview she gave trying to explain the most recent failure, she said "we have to play better defense." It apparently never occurred to her that you actually have run offensive sets and have at least one or two players on your team who can shoot the ball to have a chance. She acted as if the offense would simply take care of itself if she focused entirely on defensive basketball. It made her teams easy to scheme against and easy to defend (again, like a recent football coach we had). 

Anyway, I'm glad she's gone and look forward to a quality hire by AD Greene. 

Spot On!

[AU9377 4,913]

6 hours ago, slot canyon said:

I don't agree with Justin Lee seeming to place much of the blame on fan support.  A few years ago my wife and I would drive down for a game a couple of times a year but the play lately has not been such that we care to make the time or money investment.  Likewise, we tend not to attend bad movies or go to restaurants that serve bad food.  I respect the team for some of the effort they exhibited but as a consumer could not support the product.  They were even difficult to watch on TV as every game looked like th e same ol' helter - skelter strategy.  If the product improves I believe it will be supported.  To point a finger at the fans is looking in the wrong direction.  "Build it and they will come" I believe applies here.

I was discussing this with him on twitter earlier today.  I feel like he is too young to have a reference by which to gauge how Auburn fans react.  Auburn softball was an afterthought until coach Myers gave everyone a reason to support the team.  We all know how that turned the program around.  Men's basketball's problems weren't caused by a lack of fan support.  When the right coach took over, we filled the Arena.  I refuse to give any oxygen to the idea that Auburn people bear any responsibility for the women's program being at an all time low.  TWF owns that.

[aubiefifty 16,695]

how did she get to be the womens olympic coach if she has all those troubles? i have no clue and i am asking. usually when you coach olympic BB you are at the top of the coaching heap i always thought. anyway i hoped she would turn it around. classy lady and easy to look at. hell i would have suited up and playede hard for her just to be close to her.....lol.

[ellitor 33,062]

39 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

how did she get to be the womens olympic coach if she has all those troubles? i have no clue and i am asking. usually when you coach olympic BB you are at the top of the coaching heap i always thought. anyway i hoped she would turn it around. classy lady and easy to look at. hell i would have suited up and playede hard for her just to be close to her.....lol.

@aubiefifty Who are you talking about? Pretty sure Flo never coached at the Olympics.

[aubiefifty 16,695]

3 minutes ago, ellitor said:

@aubiefifty Who are you talking about? Pretty sure Flo never coached at the Olympics.

are you sure? a friend told me a few years ago and he is usually straight. i might have aubied it tho. in fact i was very excited when i heard that. oh well.

[AU9377 4,913]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

are you sure? a friend told me a few years ago and he is usually straight. i might have aubied it tho. in fact i was very excited when i heard that. oh well.

She was an assistant coach on the U.S. team at the World Games. 

You may be thinking about Nell Fortner.  Nell was the head coach for the U.S. women's team and led them to a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Nell had a record of 101-14 as HC of the U.S. National Team. Nell was also an assistant under Tara Vanderveer (Standord coach) on the 1996 Olympic team that won gold in Atlanta.

[im4aual 486]

Flo had a good resume, but was never a good fit at Auburn.  I wish her the best.

[Sani-Freeze 552]

On 3/5/2021 at 1:52 PM, AU9377 said:

She was an assistant coach on the U.S. team at the World Games. 

You may be thinking about Nell Fortner.  Nell was the head coach for the U.S. women's team and led them to a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Nell had a record of 101-14 as HC of the U.S. National Team. Nell was also an assistant under Tara Vanderveer (Standord coach) on the 1996 Olympic team that won gold in Atlanta.

Remind me what happened to Fortner - did she just resign/retire? I thought she was a good coach and seemed like she was still fairly young to be retiring.