Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator
- Email:
- cfinley@athletics.pitt.edu
- Phone:
- 412-648-8360
Candice Finley enters her third season as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Pitt women’s basketball in 2025-26. She oversees the Pitt recruiting efforts while also working closely with the Panthers’ wing players.
Finley brought 15 years of collegiate coaching experience to the Panthers’ sidelines. She came to Pitt after spending the previous four seasons at Xavier, one season as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator (2019-20) and three seasons as associate head coach/recruiting coordinator (2020-23). During her time at Xavier, she primarily worked with the Musketeer’s post players.
During her four seasons at Xavier, Finley helped two players earn All-BIG EAST honors (Fernanda Ovalle, A’riana Gray) while off the court, 16 players earned Academic All-BIG EAST Honors. Ayanna Townsend was also named the 2021-22 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, becoming the first Musketeer to earn the academic honor.
Finley helped forward Courtney Prenger turn in the best season of her career in 2022-23 as she started 29 games while averaging 7.0 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 46.7% from the floor. Prenger also notched 40 blocks on the season which ranks 10th in a single season in program history while posting 109 rejections in her career, ranking sixth in program history for career blocks. She also helped freshman Fernanda Ovalle earn Big East All-Freshman Team honors after averaging 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds.
Xavier finished the 2021-22 season with a .746 free-throw percentage, ranking third in single-season program history. The Musketeers also finished the year with 89 blocks to rank ninth in single-season program history.
Individually, Finley helped Townsend turn in a solid career as she netted over 500 points, 300 rebounds and 80 blocks which ranks seventh all-time in program history. Townsend was also tabbed the 2021-22 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Xavier finished the COVID-19 shortened season (2020-21) ranked second in the BIG EAST in steals per game (9.9), while ranking 35th in the NCAA. The 9.9 steals per game also ranked fourth in single-season Xavier history.
Individually, Aaliyah Dunham finished the 2020-21 campaign ranked first in the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio (3.17) - while ranking sixth in the NCAA. She also finished the year ranked 52nd in the NCAA in steals per game (2.47).
Finley helped coach All-BIG EAST performer A’riana Gray in 2019-20. The forward led the conference in rebounding for the second time in as many seasons. She also helped coach point guard Aaliyah Dunham who finished the season averaging 4.5 assists per game, ranking fourth in the BIG EAST.
Prior to her stint in Cincinnati with the Musketeers, Finley spent six seasons as an assistant coach working under Verdi at UMass (2017-19) and Eastern Michigan (2012-16). In her two seasons at UMass, Finley helped the Minutewomen post 30 wins after only winning nine games during the 2016-17 season. She also served as the recruiting coordinator during her time in Amherst, hauling in the 57th ranked class in the country in 2018 (according to Blue Star Basketball).
Prior to UMass, she spent four seasons at Eastern Michigan (2012-16) - helping the Eagles post two 20-win seasons and advancing to three postseason tournaments. The Eagles won eight games during her first season (2012-13) on the bench before recording 24 wins only two seasons later and playing in the WNIT Sweet 16.
Along with coaching the post players, she served as the recruiting coordinator and was key in twice securing the No. 1 recruiting classes in the Mid-American Conference. On the court, Finley’s post players saw continued growth and progression with several more than doubling their offensive output from previous seasons.
Finley also has assistant coaching stops at Eastern Kentucky (2008-11), Southern Connecticut State (2007-08) and Romulus (Mich.) from 2003-05. She also served as head coach at Romulus High School from 2005-07.
Finley played professionally in Luxembourg for one season following a standout playing career at Eastern Kentucky.
A three-year starter at Eastern Kentucky (1997-01), Finley concluded her playing career with more than 1,000 points, nearly 500 rebounds and more than 100 steals while making 45.4% of her field goal attempts. She earned Second Team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors as a senior after leading the team in scoring (13.0) and rebounding (5.5). Finley also helped the Lady Colonels secure the 1998 OVC Championship.
She graduated from Eastern Kentucky in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in apparel design & merchandising.
The Detroit, MI, native also won three state titles as a player at Bishop Borgess HS.
