Key keywords: Alabama Women’s Basketball Coach, Mid-Major Program Coaching Hire, NCAA Women’s Basketball Offseason Moves, Kristy Curry, Conference USA Basketball, Women’s College Basketball Coaching Carousel, Alabama Crimson Tide WBB, UAB Blazers Women’s Basketball The 2024 NCAA women’s basketball offseason delivered one of the most surprising coaching moves of the year on Thursday, as Alabama Crimson Tide women’s basketball head coach Kristy Curry announced she is leaving the SEC Power 5 program to take the top coaching role at mid-major UAB, a Conference USA member located less than an hour from Alabama’s Tuscaloosa campus. Curry, 57, spent 11 seasons at the helm of Alabama’s women’s program, compiling a 190-143 overall record with four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the second round in 2023. The 2023-24 season marked one of her most successful with the Tide, as she led the team to a 24-10 overall record, a 10-6 mark in SEC play that landed them at No. 5 in the conference standings, and a 7-seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Multiple inside sources confirmed that UAB’s athletic department offered Curry a seven-year, $10.5 million contract, a 65% raise from her annual salary at Alabama, along with full autonomy over recruiting budgets, staff hiring, and long-term program operations. The rare reverse poach – in which a Power 5 head coach leaves for a mid-major program – has sent ripples across women’s college basketball, as it marks a growing trend of mid-major programs investing significant resources into their women’s basketball teams to compete at the national level, rather than only allocating top budgets to men’s programs. UAB’s women’s program has posted four consecutive 20-win seasons and narrowly missed an at-large NCAA Tournament bid in 2024, returning 80% of their scoring production for the 2024-25 season. Athletic department leadership at UAB noted in a press conference that Curry’s decade of experience recruiting top talent in the talent-rich state of Alabama, as well as her proven track record of building competitive teams against elite SEC opposition, made her the clear top candidate for the role. Alabama’s athletic department has already launched a national search for Curry’s replacement, with early candidates including several top SEC assistant coaches and mid-major head coaches with deep experience recruiting the Southeast. Program officials also noted that they have already begun outreach to current Alabama players and incoming recruits to address concerns about the coaching transition and reduce potential transfer portal losses.