Ten years, 173 wins and counting.
That's Kristy Curry's tenure as Alabama women's basketball coach going into the 2023 SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.
When Curry came to Alabama from Texas Tech, the Crimson Tide was coming back-to-back two-win SEC campaigns. Now it has reached 20 wins in back-to-back seasons. In her time at Alabama, the Crimson Tide has returned to the NCAA Tournament, ended a decades-long losing streak against Tennessee and brought the program back to prominence.
"Just the quiet moments of the little steps along the way the last 10 years have been really special," Curry said in February. "It wasn't the easiest chore, but it certainly has been one of the most rewarding that I've had in my career. It's a true honor to say 'Roll Tide' every day."
Curry came to Alabama to find a new challenge after leading Texas Tech and Purdue for seven seasons each. She led the Boilermakers to seven NCAA tournaments, including a national championship game appearance, while winning five straight Big Ten titles. She coached the Red Raiders to an upset of No. 1 Baylor and back to the NCAA Tournament in 2011.
Here's a look at the top 10 moments of Curry's Alabama tenure:
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The premier moment of the Curry era at Alabama was getting the program back to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 for the first time since 1999. Not only was the Crimson Tide able to get into the tournament, but it earned a win over 10th-seeded North Carolina for its first win in the tournament since 1999.
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Going into the February 2016 matchup with the Lady Volunteers, the Crimson Tide had lost 42 straight games to its rival. The Crimson Tide won 54-46 on senior night, Alabama's first in the series since 1984. The win didn't only end the losing streak, but marked the 700th win in program history.
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Alabama did not have a player drafted into the WNBA since 2005 before Jasmine Walker was taken with the seventh overall pick in 2021. Walker was picked by the Los Angeles Sparks and played two games before tearing her ACL. She has been on the Connecticut Sun and currently plays for the Seattle Storm.
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It's not what happened in this game but what it signified, Alabama would finish would with a winning record in conference play for the first time since the 1997-98 season. The Crimson Tide earned its 20th win, a mark that had not been hit without postseason play since 1996-97.
The Crimson Tide had stopped the losing streak and rode a three-game win streak into Knoxville during the 2018 season, a place where it had never beaten the Lady Volunteers. That all changed with a 72-63 win over Tennessee. It remains the only win over Tennessee in Knoxville for Alabama.
Going into the 2022 matchup, Alabama was 3-9 in SEC play and had lost three of its last four but sailed to a 10-point win over a top-10 Lady Volunteers squad. Megan Abrams and Brittany Davis combined for 50 points as Alabama took command for good in the first quarter.
Curry already was in second place in wins at Alabama. She reached the 150-win mark in a 74-62 win over Georgia in the 2022 SEC Tournament. The win sent Alabama to its second straight quarterfinal appearance.
They weren't the first wins over AP Top 25 teams, but back-to-back road wins over No. 9 Mississippi State and No. 12 Texas A&M showed how far the program had come. The nucleus of this team returned to lead Alabama to its first NCAA Tournament since the 1990s.
It took four tries for Curry to earn her first victory at Alabama. It came in a 70-62 victory over Wisconsin in 2013.
Alabama had back-to-back runs to the WNIT quarterfinals in the 2016-17 and the 2017-18 seasons. In both, the Crimson Tide crossed the 20-win mark, a first since 1998-99.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Kristy Curry's top moments in 10 years as Alabama women's basketball coach
