Coming off one of the most lopsided losses of her career, Florida women’s basketball coach Carol Ross resigned surprisingly March 22, ending a successful 12-year stint in Gainesville.

Ross guided the Gators to their ninth NCAA Tournament berth in 10 years this season, earning a No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region, but they were walloped by No. 12 seed BYU, 90-52, in the first round March 16. The defeat was part of a season-ending, three-game losing streak that left UF (18-11) with its lowest victory total since 1991-92, when it went 15-13 in Ross’ second year.

"I believe this program can go to another level, and I believe there’s somebody out there that can take it there," Ross said. "I want that very much for this program."

Although Ross never won an SEC regular-season or tournament title, she was by far the most successful women’s basketball coach in the program’s history. Before she arrived, the Gators never had been to the NCAA Tournament, and their record in the SEC was a miserable 14-79. Under her watch, reaching the NCAA Tournament became an annual affair, and UF went 84-62 in the SEC, tying for second place in 1997-98 and 2000-01. Overall, Ross compiled a 247-121 record with seven 20-win seasons.

UF’s deepest run in the NCAA Tournament was 1997. With first-team AP All-America DeLisha Milton and honorable mention AP All-America Murriel Page dominating the post, the Gators advanced to the Mideast Region final before losing to Old Dominion, 53-51. They reached the Sweet 16 a year later behind Page, who moved up to second-team All-America.

They have not gotten past the second round since then.

"I had a dream that we would come here and build this program into a nationally respected and nationally recognized program, and we did that," Ross said. "But I also had dreams of championships, and we have not done that. There’s an old saying that goes, ‘when you love something you have to let it go.’ I love this program, and in order for it to be where I want it to go, I have to let it go."

UF athletic director Jeremy Foley said he met with Ross on the morning of her resignation to discuss a contract extension. Seconds into the meeting, he found out she was resigning.

"To say I was shocked about Carol’s decision is an understatement," he said. "I was blind-sided about the result of our meeting. Carol has done an unbelievable job developing the Lady Gator basketball team into one of the finest in the country."

Ross, sitting next to Foley during the news conference at the Florida practice facility, was emotional from start to finish. Her eyes watered several times as she described her feelings.

"When I took this job 12 years ago, I remember vividly the phone calls I got, and they were all asking me one question: ‘Are you crazy?’" Ross said. "I got a lot of those same phone calls today as I make my exit from Lady Gator basketball, and the question’s still the same: ‘Are you crazy?’ So a lot’s taken place over a 12-year period. They thought I was crazy for taking the job, and now they think I’m crazy for leaving this job. I’m awfully proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish here on a consistent basis."

Foley seconded that notion.

"It’s a sad day for all of us," he said. "There’s no finer person, and obviously she’s a very good coach. Class has always been associated with her, and you can see that by making this decision, she puts the University of Florida program ahead of anybody else, including herself."

Foley said he had no specific timetable but would not wait long to find a replacement for Ross, using the women’s Final Four this weekend as a starting point. UF signed five players in the early-signing period, so the Gators do not have an immediate recruiting concern.

"We will move as quickly as we can just for the sake of transition," Foley said. "We have a team full of women who want to know who their next coach is going to be. There’s a certain sense of uncertainty in their lives, and I’d like to try to minimize that uncertainty."

Ross has some uncertainty of her own. She had a chance to take a WBNA head-coaching job with the Orlando franchise a few years ago, but this time she does not know what her options will be.

"Most people that quit their jobs have another one lined up," she said. "That would make me right and smart. I’m only right. I don’t know what I’m going to do next, but I’m excited about whatever adventures are in front of me. I don’t know what that is. I do believe that this is my last college-coaching job. I’ve been in the best program in the country and the best university in the country, so I don’t have any desire to make any type of move at the collegiate level.

"I just want to get away for a bit and re-evaluate what it is that I want to do. I want to cram as much into my little short life as I can. I don’t want to wake up and only have done one thing."

Ross did not rule out a WNBA coaching position, although nothing is imminent. She produced eight first-team All-SEC performers in her UF tenure – Sophia Witherspoon, Merlakia Jones, LaTonya McGhee, Milton, Page, Tonya Washington, Brandi McCain and Vanessa Hayden.

She insisted UF’s disintegration at the end of the season played no role in her decision to resign.

Ranked as high as No. 11 in the Associated Press poll, the Gators lost six of their last nine games, all by double digits. Before getting blitzed by BYU in the NCAA Tournament, they fell to the SEC’s No. 11 seed, Auburn, in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

"If anything, it made me want to come back even more," Ross said. "Coaches are competitors. My vision was to cut down nets and ride off into the sunset. That’s how I always thought it was going to be. It made me want to come back for another round.

"It just wasn’t the right thing to do."