Change On at UCF: Women’s basketball team loses head coach

ORLANDO, Fla. – She had big shoes to fill, and the added challenge of leading a team into the Big 12 conference, but Sytia Messer struggled to win games and is now out as women’s basketball coach at UCF.

The school announced the move in a statement earlier Monday, thanking Messer for her commitment while writing in part, “Our goal remains building a program that competes at a high level while providing exceptional educational services that prepare our student-athletes for success beyond graduation.” The statement continued, “In this next chapter for women’s basketball, we are continuing to align our strategy to ensure we are investing in the ways that most directly impact success in today’s landscape.”

Messer, who worked as an assistant coach at Baylor and LSU before being hired by UCF four years ago, led the Knights to a 49-69 overall record and a 14-55 mark in Big 12 regular season games.

UCF announced that a national search for her replacement is underway.