Alabama Announces Hiring of SEC Champion Coach One Week After Big Transfer Portal Move

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In their bid to fill the shoes of a 13-year legacy left by Kristy Curry, the Alabama Crimson Tide is making some major moves. Pauline Love’s program has already created a stir in the community by making notable use of the transfer portal to replace departing players. And now, the Crimson Tide has added an SEC Championship-winning coach to its staff, looking to add more depth after the departure of its veteran coach, Curry.

In an X post, the Alabama WBB program stated that they’re signing Amy Wright, a former head coach at Long Beach State, as the associate head coach to Pauline Love. Wright joins a Crimson Tide coaching staff also featuring Tyus Hooks, Cal Watson, and Chester Nichols. In the announcement post, head coach Love also heaped praise on the former, stating how this recruitment will help the program in the years to come.

“Amy is one of the most respected recruiters and player developers in our game,” the Crimson Tide head coach said of Wright’s hiring. “Her ability to connect with players and elevate talent will be a huge asset for our program. She’s a winner, and, more importantly, she’s someone our players will trust and grow with every day.”

Amy Wright is one of the most experienced campaigners in the college basketball circuit right now. Not only does she have head-coaching experience in the Big West Conference. But she also has extensive experience in the SEC, where she served as the associate head coach at Oklahoma and as an assistant coach for the Texas A&M Aggies for 9 years, during which she won the coveted SEC conference championship in 2013.

As a result, Wright understands the nuances of the conference and the challenges it takes to thrive in it. She might not have the best head coaching records to boast of with Long Beach State (36-57), but across her long coaching career, she has forged herself as a top recruiter, which will immensely help the Alabama Crimson Tide in this rebuilding phase after the departure of Kristy Curry to the South Florida program. Speaking of her latest assignment at the conference with the Alabama job, Wright expressed her excitement for the role.

“I am honored to join Coach Love, along with Tyus, Chelsea, Chester and Cal, during her inaugural season as head coach at Alabama. Even prior to my playing days in the SEC, Alabama has always been a cornerstone of the conference in women’s basketball,” she said of her move.

Amy Wright’s addition to Pauline Love’s roster is a major silver lining for the latter. It needs to be understood that Love herself is in her first head coaching assignment with the program. She did serve in Alabama as an assistant and at Oklahoma as the associate head coach. But she wasn’t solely responsible for calling the shots at the coaching table in either program.

Now that she will have to do so, it will be immensely beneficial for her to have a former head coach and a seasoned SEC campaigner to look over her shoulder during this tenure. The coaching change is just the tip of the iceberg, as the Alabama Crimson Tide is also undergoing a major roster revamp after the 2025-26 season.

For instance, players like Diana Collins, Reychel Douglas, and Joy Egbuna also entered the portal, causing a major instability for the coaching duo of Love and Wright ahead of their first season with the program. But the good news for the program is that the team has also made good use of the portal last week, bringing in a top player like Caitlin Staley, a former Charlotte forward who played a substantial role off the bench, averaging 4.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks last season.

On top of that, the Alabama Crimson Tide will also see returners like Ace Austin, a freshman who impressed quite a bit last season, averaging 7.0 points and 2.7 rebounds. Thus, with a varied mix of youngsters and experienced campaigners, the team is looking quite substantial for Amy Wright and Pauline Love to build upon in the 2026-27 season.

Amy Wright Clearly Outlines Her Aspirations With Her Alabama Crimson Tide Stint

In the Alabama Crimson Tide’s long history, there haven’t been many silverware to boast of. The program has never won the conference Championships, let alone the National Championships. But despite that, they do have a few stalwart coaches who have given the program a character and a foundation to build upon. And subsequently, the program’s new associate head coach aims to follow the roadmap set by these coaches during their long tenures.

In her statement, Wright clearly stated that she wants to take the program to the stature that Rick Moody and Kristy Curry built. “We have the opportunity to stand on the shoulders of what Coach Moody and Coach Curry built for the Crimson Tide and to continue the legacy of legends who have shaped this program. I am excited to be part of this next chapter and to help move Alabama forward. Roll Tide!”

Curry and Moody are undoubtedly two of the longest-serving head coaches in the program. They have elevated the program to a level where they have consistently reached March Madness. It’s not easy in a challenging SEC conference that offers the toughest strength of schedule and has teams like South Carolina, Texas and LSU.

Now that Wright aspires to take the same map, it will be interesting to see how she navigates it with head coach Pauline Love next season, especially with a revamped roster. What are your expectations from Wright’s move to Alabama? Do let us know in the comments.

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