Florida Gators

Cam Newbauer completed his fourth season as the head coach of the University of Florida women’s basketball program and eighth season overall as head coach in 2020-21. Newbauer brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience at both the women’s and men’s Division I level.
 
You would be hard pressed to find someone whose personality oozes enthusiasm, excitement, and passion like that of Coach Cam.
  
Those traits – not to mention Newbauer’s success on the basketball court – caught the attention of Florida Athletics Director Scott Stricklin, who named Newbauer the 10th head coach of the University of Florida women’s basketball program on March 27, 2017.

Navigating the unique and bountiful challenges presented by the 2020-21 season, Newbauer and the Gators persevered and secured the program’s first postseason win since 2014. Playing with a short-handed lineup down the stretch run of the season, the Gators continued to fight and posted wins in both the SEC Tournament and the WNIT. Florida finished the campaign 12-14 overall, and while it didn’t always show up in the box score, its competitive spirit and fight never waned. Seven of the Gators defeats were by fewer than 10 points and eight of them came at the hands of oppositions ranked within the AP Top 25. When comparing the 2020-21 campaign to the 2019-20 campaign, Florida saw improvements in its season averages in scoring, scoring margin, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free throw percentage, rebounds and turnovers per game.

From an individual perspective, several Gators thrived and showed stark improvements in their games including Lavender Briggs and Jordyn Merritt who were both honored by the SEC. Briggs earned a spot on the All-SEC Second Team, becoming the first UF player since 2016 to do so, and Merritt etched her name on the All-Freshman squad. 2020-21 marked the second year in a row that Newbauer’s squad saw a player take home all-freshman honors as Briggs collected the designation the year prior. It marked the first time the Gators garnered an all-freshman team honorees in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns. Before it was announced that Briggs would miss the remainder of the season due to a foot injury on Feb. 15, the Utah native put together one of the best seasons in program history and finished with the fourth-highest points per game average ever by a Gator (19.4). In conference play, Briggs increased her scoring average to 21.8 points per game which trailed only Arkansas senior Chelsea Dungee in the talent-rich SEC. Briggs' scoring average in SEC play was the highest by a Florida player since the 1982-83 season when former All-American and 1992 Olympian Tammy Jackson averaged 22.0. Coming off a knee injury, the staff knew it would take time for Merritt to readjust to life on the hardwood in her first collegiate campaign but by season’s end Merritt developed herself into a standout for the Gators. Finishing with averages of 6.2 points per game and 4.5 rebounds, the Texas native started UF’s final 10 games. Playing in her first season postseason contest, Merritt put together a dominating performance with 17 points and a season-best 18 rebounds in the Gators’ win over Charlotte in the WNIT. While her name didn’t crack the postseason honors list, Kiki Smith’s 2020-21 season was nothing short of extraordinary. An extension of Newbauer on the court, the senior point guard Smith, became the first player in program history to lead the team in points (490), rebounds (173) and assists (95) in a single campaign. After averaging 11.9 points as a junior, the floor general blossomed under Newbauer’s watch, increasing her scoring average to 18.8 and 19.3 in SEC play. Of its five returners from the 2019-20 roster, four of them, Briggs, Smith, Nina Rickards and Faith Dut, increased their scoring, rebounding and assists year-by-year.
 
With just eight games on its non-conference slate, Newbauer and the Gators took advantage of their SEC season tune-ups with seven wins and registered their best winning percentage out of conference in five years. Again playing with one of the league’s youngest units, Florida faced an incredibly difficult string of games to open the conference campaign with three-straight top 12 opponents on the docket. Taking on No. 5 South Carolina, No. 9 Texas A&M and No. 12 Mississippi State in succession, the Gators battled three-straight top 12 opponents to begin the SEC season for the first time the 1986-87 campaign. Battling in the mighty Southeastern Conference which sent seven teams to the NCAA Tournament, Newbauer’s Gators produced three league wins including two notable road victories. Florida registered wins at Ole Miss and at LSU, its first victories at either locale since 2016. Notching a win in the league’s postseason tournament for the second time in the last three seasons, under Newbauer’s guidance the Gators knocked off Auburn 69-62 in first round action. Florida then gave nationally-ranked Kentucky all it could handle in the second round and led in the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell 73-64. Playing without the services of three starters in the WNIT, Newbauer’s Gators posted a win over Charlotte before falling to Villanova in the event’s second round. (Newbauer missed Florida's games at Ole Miss on Jan. 24, at home vs. Missouri on Jan. 28  and at Tennessee on Jan. 31 due to health and safety protocol, Kelly Rae Finley coached the games but he was credited with the results.)

Leading a seven-win turnaround and guiding the Gators to their first .500 finish in four years, Newbauer’s club made tremendous strides in 2019-20. Despite losing its top three scorers from the previous season, Florida posted 15 wins overall and doubled its SEC victory total at six. The Gators savored each win, but two victories stood out as the sweetest as they knocked off a pair of AP Top 25 opponents. Collecting multiple top 25 wins in a single season for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign, the Gators posted a momentous 70-62 win at No. 13 Kentucky and followed that up with an exciting 83-80 victory over No. 22 Arkansas at the O’Connell Center. It had been 1,459 days since UF’s last top 25 win, but the Gators stormed back from a 14-point deficit to stun the Wildcats at Memorial Coliseum.
 
Newbauer’s unit, which led the conference in games played by underclassmen, was again one of the league’s youngest squads but its younger core rose to the occasion and began to play like veterans by season’s end. The pillar of the young Gator collective emerged as first-year guard Lavender Briggs put together one of the best freshman campaigns in program history. After leading the team with a 15.0 points per game average, Briggs was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, becoming the 22nd player in program history to garner the accolade and the first Gator to collect an SEC postseason honor since the 2016-17 season. Briggs’ impact was felt almost immediately as she flourished under Newbauer’s guidance. Briggs, who finished in double figures in 26 of her 29 games played, helped spearhead Florida’s bounce-back campaign as she tallied the highest points per game average by a Florida rookie since the 1991-92 season. In addition to the development of Florida’s new faces, Newbauer saw veterans Kiki Smith and Zada Williams take great steps forward. In her final season of eligibility Williams posted seven double-doubles and averaged double figure points for the first time in her career while Smith increased her scoring by nearly 70 percent and started all 30 games at the point guard position.
 
Newbauer’s Gators displayed a new moxie and a new culture from the opening tip of his season. Florida collected a road win at Grambling State in its season lidlifter; the year prior Florida won just once on the road and its lone victory came in its final regular season matchup in early March. Beginning the season with four-consecutive wins for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign, Florida was half way to its previous season’s win total by mid-November. Florida’s 71-54 win over Longwood on Nov. 10 was a milestone victory for the Indiana native as Newbauer registered career win No. 100. The Gators’ first two defeats came at the hands of top 25 squads falling to No. 18 Indiana and No. 12 Florida State. Newbauer led the Gators to a 9-4 record in the non-conference slate, producing the program’s most wins before conference play in three seasons. UF’s defense was a major story as it conceded just 57.6 points per game, its best mark since the 2000-01 campaign.
 
Competing in the nation’s premier women’s college basketball conference, Newbauer and his team knew competition would be rugged, but Florida’s 2019-20 SEC docket was one of its toughest in recent memory. The Gators took on 10 AP Top 25 teams during the league slate, their most since the 2001-02 season. UF rose to the challenge and posted six wins including three SEC road victories. Florida was rewarded for its turnaround as it secured a first round bye in the SEC Tournament for the first time in four years. Earning the No. 10 seed, UF battled No. 7 LSU. Newbauer helped engineer the fifth-largest year-to-year win improvement in program history as he led the team to 15 wins after eight the year prior.  
 
A hallmark in Newbauer’s program, Florida’s service in the community continued. A mainstay at elementary schools, retirement homes and food banks across the Gainesville area, Florida’s commitment to serving others was strong. For her leadership efforts, Williams earned a spot on the SEC Community Service team. A steadfast commitment to academic excellence, also a staple in the Indiana native's squads, continued to be the case in 2019-20 as four Gators earned a spot on the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll. For just the second time over the course of the last 20 years, Florida featured at least four or more student-athletes on the honor roll in three consecutive seasons. Redshirt-junior Danielle Rainey earned the achievement for the second straight season. 

The 2018-19 season marked a time of tremendous growth for the program as Newbauer saw eight Gators make their Florida debut on a roster that featured just two returners who had logged significant minutes the season before. Featuring the services of just one senior, guard Funda Nakkasoglu, Florida’s newcomers accounted for over 70 percent of its minutes and 60 percent of its scoring. The new-look Gators gained great experience and the senior stalwart Nakkasoglu enjoyed a strong final season in Gainesville. In Newbauer’s spread it, share it and shoot it offense, the Utah State transfer averaged a team-best 16.8 points per game on an impressive .460 mark from the floor and finished near the top of the SEC in three-pointers made (84), three-point percentage (.420) and points per game. Posting 24 double-figure scoring games, Nakkasoglu helped lead by example with her consistent play, game in and game out. Newbauer helped guide three freshman Kristina Moore, Ariel Johnson and Emanuely de Oliveira to successful rookie campaigns and furthered the development of five transfers.
 
One of the least experienced teams in the always challenging SEC, the Gators equaled their win total from the previous season and were especially tough to beat at home at the O’Connell Center. Florida electrified the O’Dome crowd with an exciting win over Texas Tech in the SEC Challenge and picked up a pair of buzzer-beating wins vs. Alabama and Missouri in SEC play. Florida’s 58-56 win over Missouri in mid-January was one of its best, as it erased a 14-point deficit and shocked the Tigers who featured one of the league’s most talented rosters. The Gators finished strong by winning at Vanderbilt in their regular season finale and defeating Ole Miss in the opening round of the SEC Tournament in Greenville. UF’s 64-57 win over the Rebels marked Newbauer’s first SEC Tournament victory.
 
After a record-setting season in 2017-18, Newbauer’s offensive system continued to produce impressive results in year two as Florida knocked down 235 three-pointers, the second most in program history. Florida finished with 200 or more treys as a team in each of Newbauer’s first two seasons at the helm, accomplishing the feat in back to back seasons for just the second time in program history.
 
The program continued its efforts to serve the community, making many stops at local schools, retirement homes and charitable events. For her efforts sophomore Stephanie Brower was named to the SEC Community Service team. The Gators continued to excel academically, registering a cumulative 3.17 GPA during the 2018 fall semester and for just the second time in the last 10 years, the women's basketball team featured four or more players on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in consecutive seasons.

While he knew there would be work to do in establishing the foundation for his program, Newbauer’s imprint on the 2017-18 Florida squad was immediate. It was fan-friendly. It was exciting. It was record-setting. The Gators connected with their fans like never before, greeting them in the stands after every game – home and away, win or lose. On the court, he brought an exciting style of basketball, as “Chuck it from the Cheap Seats” remained Newbauer’s approach to shooting for every member on the team and the Gators listened, setting the school record for total three-pointers made in a season, average number of three-pointers made per game and made three-pointers in a game. The Gators reset the program record for threes in a game twice during the 2017-18 season and the new standard stands at 17 after the Nov. 23, 2017, performance against Savannah State. Altogether it was an historic season shooting the three ball for Newbauer’s Gators as they drained a program-best 249 triples. The Gators not only shot it but they shared it too as they were one of two teams to feature two players in the league's top 15 in terms of assists per game (Washington 3.6 apg, Anderson 3.1 apg). The Gators were one of seven SEC teams to average north of 14 assists per game (14.2). Under Newbauer’s tutelage, then junior Funda Nakkasoglu quickly developed into one of the league’s elite shooters. The Australian connected on 76 three-point attempts which were the second most in the SEC and sixth-most in program history and finished the season averaging a team-best 14.9 points per game.

Newbauer’s inaugural season ended with just eight scholarship players suiting up for the final 13 games after injuries made for a lean roster that compiled an 11-19 record. Despite being undermanned, the Gators played 15 games decided by 10 points or less and eight of Florida’s final nine regular-season games were against teams ranked in the top-25. Overall, 14 of UF’s 26 opponents were teams that earned a postseason berth and Gators played 16 games against those programs, including two versus the national runner-up. The mighty Southeastern Conference lived up to its billing as one of the nation’s top conferences. Not only did eight teams land a spot in the NCAA Tournament, it featured the national coach of the year, the national player of the year and the national freshman of the year – and all represented by a different SEC school.

In the classroom, the 2017-18 Gators had six members earn a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll, tied for the second-most in program history.

A typical example of Newbauer’s passion for interacting with Gator fans everywhere came following the team’s shootaround on December 31, 2017. The bus was driving the team back to the hotel when Newbauer spotted a Gator flag flying outside a house. He yelled to the bus driver to stop the bus and he immediately got out and told the team to follow him. They all walked up to the house, knocked on the door and the family welcomed the team inside for a photo and Gator wishes. It was the home of CJ and Jennyfer Gibson. They weren’t planning to attend the women’s basketball game later that night – New Year’s Eve - but after meeting the team changed their plans and sat right behind the Gator bench that game.

 

Prior to his appointment with the Gators, Newbauer spent the previous four seasons (2013-17) as head coach at Belmont University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Under Newbauer, the Bruins reached the postseason three times, including NCAA Tournament berths the last two seasons. Belmont won 35 of its last 36 games against Ohio Valley Conference opponents – a run that included league tournament games – and sported an overall 25-game win streak entering the 2017 NCAA Tournament before its 73-70 first-round loss at Kentucky. The Bruins were 51-15 overall and 35-3 in OVC action over his last two years, winning the OVC regular-season championship last year and the league’s tournament title the last two seasons. Newbauer, who compiled a 79-50 record at BU, was named the 2016-17 OVC Coach of the Year.

The 2016-17 Bruins won the OVC regular-season title for the first time in program history and captured the OVC Tournament championship for the second consecutive year. Following the 2015-16 season, Darby Maggard was named the program’s first OVC Freshman of the Year, while Sally McCabe was honored as the team’s inaugural recipient of the Defensive Player of the Year award. McCabe repeated the honor following the 2016-17 campaign, as she ranked among the nation’s top 15 for blocked shots while becoming just the second player in league history to win the top defensive honor twice. During 2016-17, Belmont ranked in the top 20 nationally in 12 statistical categories, including third for rebound margin, 11th for assists per game, 13th for three-point field goals made, 14th for three-pointers made per game, 14th for three-point field goal percentage and 17th for scoring offense. Altogether, Newbauer produced seven first team All-OVC selection, three OVC All-Newcomer team members, two OVC Defensive Player of the Years and one OVC Freshman of the year.

In the classroom, the Bruins were equally as impressive as Newbauer helped guide the team to cumulative GPA’s above 3.5 in all of his final three seasons, finishing top 15 nationally each season. Newbauer’s Bruins participated in a series of service projects every month throughout the academic calendar. In August of 2015, Newbauer and Belmont Assistant Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator Betty Wiseman, partnered with Brentwood Baptist Church and took the 2015-16 team to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Over the 10 days, BU spoke with and shared their love of basketball with impoverished children in several favelas (Brazilian slums).

The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native has been a women’s basketball assistant coach at Louisville and Georgia and a men’s assistant at Siena College, while also working as a director of basketball operations for Georgia’s men’s team and at Siena.

In the year prior to becoming an NCAA Division I head coach, Newbauer joined head coach Jeff Walz at the University of Louisville as an assistant coach for the 2012-13 season and the Cardinal’s magical NCAA run. Louisville compiled a 29-9 record, earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament and marched into the national championship game after knocking off Middle Tennessee State, Purdue, California, Tennessee and the No. 1 overall seed Baylor.

Before taking the job at Louisville, Newbauer had a few runs at the University of Georgia, most recently serving  five years as an assistant coach under Hall of Famer Andy Landers from 2007-12. In this role, Newbauer helped secure back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes, with the 2008 group ranked in the top five, followed by the top-10-ranked 2009 class. He joined Landers after spending the previous two seasons (2005-07) as the director of basketball operations for the men’s team. Prior to his basketball operations role, Newbauer was a graduate manager for the men’s program during the 2003-04 season.

Newbauer was an assistant coach with Siena College’s men’s team for the 2004-05 campaign under head coach Rob Lanier, who would later become an assistant coach (2007-10) under Billy Donovan at the University of Florida. Newbauer also served the role of Director of Basketball Operations from 2001-03 at Sienna.

Newbauer played one season of basketball at Madonna College in Livonia, Michigan, before transferring to Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne in his hometown. The native Hoosier earned his bachelor’s degree from IUPU Fort Wayne in 2001 and later obtained a master’s degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies from the University of Georgia in 2009.

Newbauer married the former Sarah Millender in May of 2011 on the University of Georgia’s Herty Field and the couple has three young girls in Chloe, Millie and their newest addition Charli Jean, who was born in February of 2019.
 

Newbauer's Career Coaching Record

 

Year	School	Wins	Losses	Percentage	Notes
2013-14	Belmont	14	18	.436	WNIT First Round
2014-15	Belmont	14	17	.452
2015-16	Belmont	24	9	.727	NCAA First Round
2016-17	Belmont	27	6	.818	NCAA First Round
2017-18	Florida	11	19	.366
2018-19	Florida	8	23	.258
2019-20	Florida	15	15	.500
2020-21	Florida	12	14	.462	WNIT Second Round
2013-21	Total	125	121	.508