I had been planning a column calling on UF athletics director Scott Stricklin to fire women’s basketball coach Amanda Butler for weeks. I was waiting until after the season ended — presumably with an early exit in the SEC Tournament — to write it. It was actually supposed to run in place of this column, but then it didn't need to.
“After 10 years, University of Florida women’s basketball coach Amanda Butler will not return next season,” read the press release posted on FloridaGators.com.
Stricklin’s decision wasn’t surprising given Butler’s history. In 10 years at the helm of the program, Butler’s teams had a tendency to fluctuate from halfway decent to poor from season to season, and this season was one of the worst of all.