Confident Newbauer eager to revive Gator women’s hoops
GAINESVILLE — Cameron Newbauer learned long ago every day is an interview.
Even so, the new UF women’s basketball coach did not realize he was in the midst of the most important one of his career a year ago during an NCAA Tournament regional at Mississippi State.
Newbauer’s 13th-seeded Belmont Bruins were nip and tuck with No. 4 seed Michigan State in Starkville, Miss., when Bulldogs’ athletics director Scott Stricklin took notice.
Impressed with the passion of Newbauer and his players, Stricklin made a mental note — just in case. A year later Stricklin was in Gainesville searching for new coach after the March 6 firing of Amanda Butler. Stricklin, now the new UF athletics director, knew where to turn.
When the first phone call came on March 22, Newbauer recalled Tuesday, “my jaw dropped.”
Stricklin said the Gators spoke to several “intriguing candidates,” including San Antonio Spurs trailblazing assistant Becky Hammon. But Newbauer’s passion and commitment convinced Stricklin he was the right choice.
“Some other candidates weren’t quite as strong,” Stricklin said. “It’s a hard job. It takes a ton of energy and a ton of commitment, and unless you’re all in, you’re not going to be very successful.”
On Monday, UF named Newbauer the 10th coach of the school’s only program without an SEC title. The 38-year-old agreed to a fiveyear deal worth $500,000 annually.
Discussing the opportunity ahead, Newbauer choked up a bit several times.
“I fell in love with the challenge, to leave a footprint, to leave a legacy and it just so happened that the opportunity got presented to me [Monday],” he said.
Newbauer built Belmont into a top mid-major program in four seasons. He now is in charge of a struggling program with an indifferent fan base and no track record of sustained success.
Newbauer said he plans to be relentless as both a recruiter and a promoter of women’s basketball in Gainesville. UF averaged around 1,200 fans in recent seasons, but Newbauer is confident that will change.