In a development from Auburn, Alabama, Auburn University announced it has relieved women’s basketball coach Johnnie Harris of her duties following the team’s early exit from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Tournament. The dismissal occurred after the Tigers suffered a 60-50 defeat at the hands of Florida in the tournament’s opening round.
Harris, who had been at the helm for four seasons, finished with an overall record of 58 wins and 63 losses. Under her guidance, Auburn made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019 during last season. However, the team failed to maintain traction and ended this season with a disappointing 12-18 record, including a 3-13 performance within the SEC.
The Tigers’ early tournament exit marked their seventh consecutive loss, highlighting a challenging season where they shared the SEC’s last position with Missouri, Texas A&M, and Arkansas.
Auburn’s athletic director, John Cohen, expressed gratitude towards Harris while highlighting the need for change. In a released statement, Cohen said, “I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Johnnie. 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.”
Before her tenure at Auburn, Harris served as an associate head coach under Vic Schaefer at Mississippi State from 2012 to 2020, while Cohen also worked as the athletic director there from 2016 to 2022. Harris then followed Schaefer to Texas, serving as associate head coach for the 2020-21 season before taking over Auburn’s program.
Harris inherited a struggling team, improving their record to 10-18 in her debut season after they had previously gone 5-19. In the subsequent seasons, Auburn experienced a brief renaissance, recording a 16-15 record in 2022-23, which marked their first winning season since 2018-19, and a 20-12 record in 2023-24. The latter season saw the Tigers secure their highest win total since 2019 and a .500 conference record, but their improvement stalled, leading to the current situation.
During the 2023-24 campaign, Auburn reached a noteworthy milestone by finishing 8-8 in SEC play, a feat not accomplished since 2019. However, their journey concluded with a 69-59 loss to Arizona in the NCAA Tournament’s First Four round.
