Virginia Dismisses Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton After Surprise Sweet 16 Run

The move drew the attention of ex-Cavaliers guard and South Carolina coach Dawn Staley.

Amaka Agugua-Hamilton lasted just four years at Virginia after the Cavaliers hired her away from Missouri State. | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

This year, there was no bigger surprise in the NCAA women’s tournament than Virginia.

Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton’s Cavaliers lost 11 games in the regular season and backed into the bracket as a No. 10 seed. However, they caught fire, beating Arizona State in the First Four, No. 10 Georgia in the first round, and No. 2 Iowa in the second round before a 10-point loss to No. 3 TCU in the Sweet 16.

But despite the late postseason run, the result was not good enough for Virginia’s administration. In a surprising move, the Cavaliers dismissed Agugua-Hamilton after four seasons, during which she posted a combined record of 70-58.

Agugua-Hamilton arrived at Virginia before the 2023 season after three successful pandemic-era seasons at Missouri State, where she won 74 games and lost just 15.

The move drew the attention of Virginia’s most famous women’s basketball product.

South Carolina’s Dawn Staley addresses Amaka Agugua-Hamilton’s firing

Staley, a superb guard for the Cavaliers from 1989 to `92 who left school with two Naismith Awards, addressed Virginia’s move as the Gamecocks prepared to play UCLA in the national championship Sunday.

“I just heard about that,” Staley said. “I did reach out to our athletic director at Virginia. She just told me that they did part ways. I don't know why. She said, ‘We'll talk soon.’ I think I reached out to [Agugua-Hamilton] as well just to check on her. Really haven't had time to have a conversation with her. I don't know what went wrong, but I think she had them on the right track.”

Notably, the Cavaliers’ statement did not include any sort of positive wishes to Agugua-Hamilton, a fairly common courtesy in the cutthroat world of college sports.

“Virginia athletics announced today (April 4) Amaka Agugua-Hamilton will not return as head coach of the women’s basketball program,” the Cavaliers said. “Agugua-Hamilton finished her four-year tenure at UVA with a 70-58 record, including a 29-42 mark in ACC play. A national search will begin immediately.”

Virginia, once a power, has had an up-and-down 21st century

Staley played for the Cavaliers in an era when they were one of the most feared brands in women’s basketball. From 1986 to `97, Virginia was a top four seed in the NCAA tournament every year under longtime coach Debbie Ryan. Ryan took the Cavaliers all the way to the national championship game in 1991, where they lost to Tennessee and coach Pat Summitt.

Ryan kept Virginia competitive well into the 21st century—the Cavaliers were a No. 5 seed in 2010, the year of her last tournament appearance—but the program ceded its ACC primacy to Duke, Maryland and North Carolina. When Ryan departed her post after the 2011 season, Virginia hit the skids: Joanne Boyle (her replacement) made just one tournament in 2018, while Hall of Fame forward Tina Thompson went 30-63 in four years.

Agugua-Hamilton seemed to have the Cavaliers on the upswing, but now Virginia is going back to the drawing board. The school’s next move will be worth watching, as we’ve seen historically that this is a program that can compete and win in an inflated ACC.

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