New UF associate head coach Shay Robinson has been to 11 of the last 12 NCAA tournaments at three different schools.
Reiss & Robinson, United at Last
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 | Women's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Boo Williams Invitational in Hampton, Virginia, is a summer must for women's college basketball coaches in search of prospects on the exposure circuit. They come. They watch. They note. They evaluate.
But in the case of Tammi Reiss and Shay Robinson, they'd take their scouts to another – call it interactive – level from their seats in the bleachers.
Even before they'd met – and long before they agreed to work together – Reiss and Robinson took notice of one another because of the similar way they watched the players. Tammi Reiss
And critiqued them.
What are you doing? Bad pass! Roll! Grab the ball! Box out!
When they finally met, Robinson was a tad starstruck. He grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, smack in the middle of "Tobacco Road," and knew all too well about Reiss and her All-America days alongside Dawn Staley in the backcourt at the University of Virginia. Eventually, the two struck up a conversation that grew into a relationship that is now going on two decades and built on a mutual love for the game.
They were destined to one day work together and that day officially arrived last week when Reiss, named March 23 as the 12th head coach in Florida women's basketball history, lured Robinson away from his assistant's post at Louisville to become associate head coach for the Gators.
"Shay was always someone I respected so much. Just a good guy and pilar of a human being," Reiss said of her first UF staff hire. "He's someone you want to go to war with – because he's been to war."
Yes, Robinson's basketball career started after an eight-year career in the Air Force that included three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Honorably discharged in 2004, Robinson's basketball journey started after earning an undergraduate degree at UCF and master's at Nova Southeastern. It began at the junior-college level and prep levels on Florida's Space Coast. Next, it was tutoring players at EDGE Training Facility, one of the premier athletic boutiques in the state before. Robinson landed his first collegiate job at Air Force.
Then came a year at Kansas, six wildly successful seasons at Maryland, two years at Ole Miss, then the move to Louisville in 2022.
Now, after coaching in 11 of the last 12 NCAA tournaments and with 10 WNBA draft picks along the way, Robinson has thrown his lot in with Reiss, who bolted an Atlantic 10 championship and NCAA Tournament team to take on the sizable task of flipping the fortunes of Florida women's basketball, the only program on campus that has never won a Southeastern Conference championship.
Shay Robinson was an assistant in the SEC for two years at Ole Miss when the Rebels won the WNIT in 2021 and the following season reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 15 years.
Two weeks ago, Robinson and Louisville played in the Sweet 16. The Gators, meanwhile, are fresh off their fourth straight 5-11 record in the SEC and last won a NCAA Tournament game in 2014. Florida has reached the Sweet 16 just twice in program history, the last time in 1998.
On Monday, all but two of UF's players entered the transfer portal, yet when asked about the "daunting rebuild" ahead, Robinson used another adjective to describe the challenge.
Exciting.
"Why? Because of Tammi Reiss. Her passion. Her energy. Her love of the game and the process and her love of finding out what makes everyone great," Robinson said. "When we first met, she didn't have to take the time to invest in me or care about me, but she did. That's the person she is, the human she is. Now, combine that with her gift for teaching the game she loves … man. I talk to other coaches around the country and they all say Tammi is up next."
Shay Robinson (right) coached in five NCAA Tournaments, including the 2015 Final Four.
And Robinson, whose resume reflects a successful program-builder (and sustainer), can't wait to get started.
His thoughts on:
* Reiss and her culture: "Oh, she's a pit bull, now. She has no problem biting. So, she's not going to be for everybody. Greatness wants to be around greatness. Greatness wants to be coached, to have a standard, a high expectation, accountability and a clear focus of the goal. And there has to be trust. Both ways. What's happening with Tammi, she's going to weed who's not about that. It's the staff's job to manage what's allowed and not allowed, and if that's not done on a daily basis, everything slips, and you can't compete for championships. You have to win every day. Win the lift, win in film, win in the workout, win the practice. The goal isn't getting to the championship; that's the destination. The goal is being the best you can be within everything you do that day. That leads to habits, which lead to the destination."
* On player development: "Where Tammi and I really crossover is our love for player development and getting in the gym, not just being a coach that is robotic. We develop skill and put in actions that compliment their skills. What's the point of running something that doesn't fit the player? … At the end of the day, we're developing players. Pros. If you want to be a pro, you can't be a system player. You have to be a player developed to fit and play in any system. You have to understand the game, pace, space and get players in the kill zone to whatever it is they do best. That'll be the focus."
* "Come to Florida and do something that's never been done before." How effective can that be as a recruiting pitch? – "We had a great first day in the portal, with some big-time players. Great conversations. At the end of the day, yes, you can go somewhere established and be a part of something. That's fine. But when you go somewhere to take on building something and accomplishing something that's never been done, well, that's a legacy that is undeniable. There is nothing like that. And what helps us is our staff has a tremendous reputation in this game with high school coaches and collegiate coaches. There are players out there as excited about Florida as we are."
* How do you apply your military background to coaching? – "You have to set a high standard of goals and expectations. You have to hold people to account. Then comes habits, then consistency, then confidence. When you put yourself in uncomfortable situations you really find what you're capable of. I did three tours after 9-11. When you're boots-on-the-ground in Uzbekistan, it's go-time. You don't fall back. You rise to the level of expectation. I use that to let players understand this is what it takes to get you to what you can be. You're not going to like us every day. Kids don't like their parents every day – that's called parenting. The relationship and bond is built through the buttons you push. It's about the blood and the sweat and we're going to be in the gym sweating with them."
* Come the start of Summer B and this coaching staff is standing in front of the 2026-27 Florida team for the first time, what will the message be? – "Energy. I'm all about the juice. It will be, 'This is who we are, this is how we do it.' The response will have to be on point. There will be mistakes, but there has to be accountability and passion to go with that. And we will have fun along the way. We will bring it to life. A high standard off the rip. We'll be right there in the trenches with them. I cannot wait."
