Auburn Women’s Basketball Coach Fired After SEC Tournament Loss

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn University fired women’s basketball coach Johnnie Harris on Thursday, a day after the Tigers suffered a 60-50 defeat to Florida in the first round of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Tournament.

Harris, who had a four-season record of 58-63, guided the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019. However, Auburn’s performance this season fell short, finishing with a 12-18 overall record and a 3-13 mark in SEC play.

The loss to Florida marked the Tigers’ seventh consecutive defeat, causing them to finish the regular season in a four-way tie for last place in the SEC alongside Missouri, Texas A&M, and Arkansas.

Auburn athletic director John Cohen expressed his gratitude towards Harris in a statement. “I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Johnnie,” Cohen said. “Having worked with her for more than a decade at two institutions, I know Johnnie is an exceptional person with a great basketball mind. I thank Johnnie for the way she represented Auburn and for her contributions to our women’s basketball program. While these decisions are never easy, the program must move in a new direction.”

Harris joined Auburn after serving as an associate head coach at Texas for the 2020-21 season and at Mississippi State from 2012-20. Under her leadership, Auburn began with a 10-18 record in her first season, improving to 16-15 the following year, marking the Tigers’ first winning season since 2018-19. The 2023-24 season saw Auburn finish with a record of 20-12 and a significant achievement of an 8-8 record in SEC play, the first time since 2019 that the Tigers finished .500 or better in conference play.

Despite the promising trajectory last season, this year’s downturn has led Auburn’s administration to seek new leadership as they aim to revive the program’s competitiveness in the SEC.