Virginia Fires Women’s Basketball Head Coach Tina Thompson

Thompson went 30-63 in her four seasons as UVA's head coach

Author:
Matt Newton
Updated:
Mar 3, 2022 3:17 PM EST
Original:
Mar 3, 2022

One day after the Cavaliers were eliminated from the ACC Tournament, Virginia women’s basketball head coach Tina Thompson has been fired, as announced by Virginia director of athletics Carla Williams on Thursday afternoon.

“Unfortunately, we have not experienced the kind of success this program has come to expect and deserve,” Williams said in a press release on Thursday. “I am thankful for Coach Thompson’s efforts and I wish her the very best.”

Thompson, who was hired as UVA’s head coach on April 16, 2018, had one year remaining on her contract when it was terminated. In Thompson’s four seasons at Virginia, the Cavaliers went 30-63, including a record of 5-22 this season, which came to an end on Wednesday night with UVA's 51-63 loss to Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament.

After increasing their win total in Thompson's first two years from the 2018-2019 season to the 2019-2020 season, the program fell on hard times during the COVID-19-impacted 2020-2021 season, as the Cavaliers played just five games before cancelling the remainder of the season. Virginia went nearly two full calendar years without winning an ACC game before winning back-to-back conference games late in the 2021-2022 season. UVA finished this season with an overall 5-22 record and a 2-16 mark in ACC play.

Williams stated that she is commencing a national search to hire the next head head coach of the Virginia women's basketball program.

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