Arkansas loses top assistant coach to Alabama

The Arkansas Razorbacks women’s basketball team has already lost three players to the transfer portal since the end of last season. Now, the Hogs are losing an assistant coach to SEC rival Alabama.

Pauline Love, a top assistant and recruiting coordinator, has been hired to the same position on Alabama coach Kristy Curry’s staff.

Love had been a member of Mike Neighbors’ Arkansas staff since his first season as head coach of the program in 2017.

“We are so excited to welcome Pauline to our Alabama family,” Curry said in a press released Friday. “She is one of the best recruiters in the country! With her background and having played at three levels along with her experience as a coach, she will bring in valuable knowledge and will share her experiences with our student-athletes to really connect to them. Pauline is going to bring energy and excitement to our program in all areas and our staff is so excited to have her at the Capstone.”

Alabama is coming off a 24-win season that included a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas went 18-15 last season and fell to Tulsa, 80-62, in the opening round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT). The Hogs have had back to back disappointing seasons under Neighbors, missing the NCAA Tournament in both years after previously making the tournament in 2021 and 2022.

The Hogs have also lost three key players since the transfer portal opened last month.

Taliah Scott, who led the team with 22.1 points per game in her freshman season in 2023-24, entered the portal, as did Saylor Poffenbarger, the team’s leading rebounder.

Jersey Wolfenbarger left via the portal, as well. She recently committed to coach Kim Mulkey’s LSU program.