New Gators women's basketball coach Tammi Reiss and UF athletic director Scott Stricklin during her intro news conference Tuesday.
Reiss' 'New Vision" Starts With Culture Reset
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 | Women's Basketball, Chris Harry
Share:
By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A slew of UAA administrators gathered Tuesday morning in the second-floor Pritchett Gator Room at the Heavener Football Training Center for the news conference introducing Tammi Reiss as the 12th head coach in University of Florida women's basketball history.
Todd Golden and his entire men's basketball staff also were in the audience to greet Reiss, their new colleague fresh off guiding Rhode Island to its first NCAA Tournament berth in 30 years.
McGill, the sophomore first-team All-Southeastern Conference point guard and league's No. 2 scorer after averaging 22.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.59 steals per game, listened to Reiss' vision for the Florida program to be one built on high energy, fierce competition, passion, compassion and leadership on and off the court.
"The main way we're going to do that is culture," said Reiss, who swept the 2026 Atlantic 10 Conference titles and went 138-73 during her seven seasons coaching the Rams. "Everything we do, we will do the right way based on pillars of integrity, character, moral compass. Things like commitment, accountability, responsibility, leadership service, trust, loyalty and humility. I promise you that we will have a winning culture. That is the foundation and everything comes from that."
McGill got a preview of that vision Monday when Reiss met with her new team at the Hugh Hathcock Basketball Complex not long after her hiring had been announced.
"I think she's great," said McGill, the honorable mention All American who was joined in the crowd by teammate Jade Weathersby and assistant coaches Cynthia Jordan and Fred Williams. "I think she's very well spoken and seems to have a passion, seems dedicated and happy to be here."
Time will tell if McGill is happy to be here under the new management.
That's the reality of college athletics in 2026. In the new landscape, players have options. Attrition is inevitable, especially following a coaching change.
In her meeting with the players, her press conference and breakout chats with media, Reiss made one thing perfectly clear.
"You've got to want to be here and you've got to want to love the University of Florida," she said. "You've got to want to embrace the new vision, not the old vision."
Reiss' predecessor, Kelly Rae Finley, was extremely popular in the UF locker room and excelled at developing relationships with her players. That's how she was able to coax three McDonald's All Americans to a place that had signed just one – Ronni Williams in 2013 – in its entire history. Finley and McGill, were both from Minneapolis, so their hometown ties eventually united them as coach and player.
Finley, though, went 93-75 over five seasons with the Gators and just 30-50 in SEC play, including 5-11 conference records the last four seasons. Hence, the change.
But with change comes more change.
Just how McGill -- or Laila Reynolds or Me'Arah O'Neal (the two other McDonald's alums) or anyone else on the current UF roster -- sees herself in that change remains to be seen.
"I'm just taking it day by day. I'm focusing on school, right now, but I'm very interested in her," McGill said of Reiss. "She seems like a great person with a great personality. I'm grateful right now to be at the University of Florida and I love Gator Nation."
So, who among the 2025-26 players will be along for the ride is something that will play out. Reiss and McGill will have their meeting of the minds in the coming days.
"I know she can hoop. She can really play," said Reiss, who also knows that other schools will come for McGill – like they did last year – and praised Finley for being able to retain the standout playmaker. "I've been in the WNBA and [general manager] rooms, learning how to construct something with a little bit less. Here's Liv McGill. She's really good. Here's three others. Are you going to pay this or are you going to pay that? That's 'Moneyball.' That's analytics."
And that's the state of the game Reiss is coming to play.
"I will have conversations with Liv and her people," Reiss said. "We'll talk, see where she is and what she is looking for."
No matter the player, a desire to be here and willingness to embrace the "new vision" will be starting points to all conversations.
