The sudden retirement of Katie Meier has left Hurricanes fans wondering who will lead the women’s basketball team through the offseason. For now, long-time assistant Fitzroy Anthony will do the job.
Anthony, initially hired as an assistant coach in 2015, has been with the team for nine years and was named associate head coach in 2022.
His career coaching women’s college basketball began in 2012 when he was hired as an assistant for Florida Atlantic University. Primarily working with guards, he had two players receive All-Conference USA recognition in the 2014-2015 season, one on the first team and one on the all-freshman team.
With Miami, his impact comes in the frontcourt. Since arriving, Miami has had nine forwards and centers selected for All-ACC teams. Three of those, Adrienne Motley(2017), Beatrice Mompremier (2020), and Destiny Harden (2023), were drafted to the WNBA. In addition, three freshmen guards, Endia Banks, Kelsey Marshall, and Ja’Leah Williams, have received ACC All-Freshman nods over his tenure.
Anthony makes the most of his mark in recruiting. In 2014, with FAU, he signed the second-ranked class in CUSA. In 2021, he officially took over the title of recruiting coordinator, which has been crucial to Miami’s success in recruiting talent. In 2022, Miami was the twelfth-rated recruiting class that the frontcourt duo of Lazaria Spearman and Kyla Oldace highlighted. With a class highlighted by five-star guard Leah Harmon, Miami has the thirteenth-rated recruiting class 2024.
He’s also worked the transfer portal to bring critical pieces to this Miami roster. In 2022, he brought in Haley and Hanna Cavinder as essential pieces of Miami’s Elite Eight last season. This season’s transfer class brought three prominent players to the ‘Canes rotation. It consisted of two of its three leading scorers, Shayeann Day-Wilson and Jaida Patrick (from Duke and Columbia, respectively), and its leading three-point shooter, Lemyah Hylton, taken from Arizona.
With the season over and the transfer portal open, Anthony’s ability will be crucial for Miami, especially with Oldacre and Ja’Leah Williams potentially leaving through the portal.
As for his ability to handle head coach duties, he has limited but valuable experience. During a three-game suspension for Meirer at the beginning of the 2022-2023 season, he won all three games by an average of 30 points. At FAU, he was vital in scouting, defensive game planning, and scheduling. Even further back, he coached the Miami Suns AAU team, where he won 80% of his games and had seven players go on to play collegiately between the ACC, SEC, and Big 12.
Miami will still be searching for its next head coach. With Meier still on the team, Anthony’s tenure, and connections to recent recruits, there is a strong chance he will be the next head coach. For now, he will get an opportunity to try out as Miami hopes to replenish any talent it loses in the transfer portal.