The University of Florida women’s basketball team returns to the court to play host to Charlotte on Mon., Nov. 15 in the second round of the Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament. Tip-off from the O’Connell Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Just 48 hours after earning a season-opening win over UCF, the Gators (1-0) aim to reach the semifinals of the national event, as a familiar program to Florida head coach Amanda Butler stands in the way of the Gator’s advancement as well as her 100th career coaching victory.
Butler, who enters Monday’s game with a 99-61 career record in six years as a head coach, including a 59-39 mark in four years at UF, received her initial head coaching job at Charlotte, where she guided the 49ers for two years prior to returning to her alma mater.
During her two years as head coach at Charlotte, Butler compiled a 40-22 record that included two WNIT berths and a share of the 49ers first-ever Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season championship. Her debut season resulted in an overall record of 21-9, the most wins ever by a Charlotte coach in their first year, as Butler was recognized as the league’s Coach of the Year. The 2006-07 49ers posted a 19-13 overall mark, advancing to the WNIT second round before losing to Virginia, 74-72.
Butler joined the Charlotte staff on May 4, 2001, as an assistant under first-year head coach Katie Meier and helped the 49ers to a 16-13 record, the program’s first winning season in eight years. In her second year as an assistant coach at Charlotte, the 49ers captured the 2003 Conference USA Regular-Season title and earned the program’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
She was promoted to Associate Head Coach the following season. When Meier departed one year later to take the head job at the University of Miami (Fla.), Butler became the logical choice to assume the 49ers head position.
Butler’s assistant coaches during her two-year head coaching tenure at Charlotte were Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, David Lowery and Janna Magette, all of whom followed her to Gainesville and are still on the Gator sideline, with Kirkpatrick & Lowery in coaching roles and Magette working as Assistant to the Head Coach.
Florida has won all four games in the series against Charlotte. The last time the two teams met was back on Nov. 30, 2005, when the 49ers were under the direction of Butler, who left Charlotte the following season to take the head coaching position at Florida.
The Gators earned the right to play Charlotte in the second round of the WNIT after they received an infusion of freshness in its season-opening 77-67 victory against UCF in the opening round. Newcomers Jaterra Bonds and Lanita Bartley led the Gators in scoring with 15 and 12 points, respectively, while redshirt junior Ndidi Madu also added 12 points.
Junior Azania Stewart had a game-high four blocked shots, as seven different Gators swatted at least one en rout to tying the program record of 14 blocks also accomplished on Dec. 20, 1983 against Harvard. Stewart also tallied nine points with five rebounds.
Florida’s six newcomers combined to score 40 points, collect 25 rebounds, block six shots and dish eight assists in the Gators’ season-opening win against the Knights.
Charlotte (1-0) walloped Iona, 72-40, in its WNIT first round game, as senior Shannon McCallum led all scorers with 21 points, while adding four rebounds, four assists, four blocks and four steals in 30 minutes of play.
Kendria Holmes, the 49ers only other senior, tallied 11 points and dished six assists to accompany four steals.
McCallum was recruited to and signed her National Letter of Intent to Charlotte by Amanda Butler. Other 49ers verbaled to the school while Butler was there, but signed with coach Karen Aston who was in place.
The 49ers also featured a slue of new faces on its 2010-11 roster, which includes six freshmen and two sophomores.
The winner of Monday’s game advances to the semifinals to play the winner of the game between DePaul at Missouri State. The loser will play one more game in the tournament either on Nov. 19 or 20 at one of the school’s home arenas.
This is the second time the Gators will play in the preseason event. Florida advanced to the semifinals of the 1998 tournament, winning the semifinal consolation game at the final site (Colorado State) for a third-place finish.
