Alabama Hiring Former Assistant as New Women's Basketball Head Coach

Alabama has hired Pauline Love as the new women's basketball head coach, per On3's Talia Goodman.

Love is coming off her first season as Oklahoma's associate head coach, where she helped lead the Sooners to a 26-8 (11-5 SEC) record and a spot in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament under head coach Jennie Baranczyk.

Love is filling the role of Kristy Curry, who departed from Tuscaloosa after 13 seasons for the same position at USF on March 24.

Curry amassed a 245–173 record during her time at UA. During her tenure, the women's basketball team moved from playing its games in Foster Auditorium, which holds a capacity of 3,800, to Coleman Coliseum, a 15,000-plus venue where the men's team also plays. The program snapped its losing streak to Tennessee, which was over four decades long. She ended up beating the Lady Vols eight times, including in this year's SEC tournament.

Before her time in Norman, Oklahoma, Love was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Alabama women's basketball. Love served as the program’s recruiting coordinator and helped lead the Crimson Tide to a 24-8 record and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Under her guidance, Alabama landed four top-100 recruits in the 2025 class and produced two WBCA All-Americans in Sarah Ashlee Barker and Aaliyah Nye.

She held the same title at Arkansas for several years after serving as the assistant coach at Southern Miss from 2013-17. Love started her coaching career as an assistant coach at McNeese.

As a player at Southern Miss from 2007-10, Love earned three All-Conference USA First Team selections and remains among the program’s all-time leaders in scoring average, rebounding average, field goals made and minutes played. She began her collegiate career at Jones College before transferring to Southern Miss and later played one season with the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun.

Pauline Love Coaching History

2025-Present: Associate Head Coach, Oklahoma
2024-25: Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator, Alabama
2017-24: Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator, Arkansas
2013-17: Assistant Coach, Southern Miss
2012-13: Assistant Coach, McNeese

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads and Blue Sky for the latest news.