Virginia Announces Hiring of New Women’s Basketball Head Coach

When the Virginia Cavaliers initially announced that women's head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton would not be returning to UVA, chaos erupted. Key players entered the transfer portal, namely Sa'Myah Smith and Kymora Johnson, just a few short days after the news broke, and Virginia was left with no choice but to quickly fill the role.

According to recent reports, University of Richmond's coach Aaron Roussell has now been hired to fill the hole left behind by Agugua-Hamilton. This was a significant hire for the program, but Roussell certainly has hefty decisions to make regarding the portal and how he can get his new team squared away.

Richmond coach Aaron Roussell named as the next UVA women's basketball head coach.

Roussell had a 148-72 record in 7 seasons at Richmond and made three-straight NCAA Tournaments.

"We look forward to putting the UVA program into the nation’s elite on a consistent basis." pic.twitter.com/ZCEGBXzvqO
— Preston Willett (@PrestonWillett) April 7, 2026

Expectations Held High For Roussell's Next Chapter

Richmond Spiders Aaron Roussell yelling during a game — Richmond Spiders head coach Aaron Roussell | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Roussell brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to UVA, having posted a career record of 460-194 over the course of his 22 seasons. This transition marks his fourth role as a head coach at the collegiate level, and he will become the seventh head coach of Virginia's women's basketball program.

"My family and I are beyond excited to lead the UVA Women’s Basketball program into a bright and prosperous future," Roussell stated, per Virginia's announcement. "We are well aware of the rich history and tradition of this program, and we look forward to putting the UVA program into the nation’s elite on a consistent basis. I would like to thank President Scott Beardsley, Carla Williams and her staff, who have been amazing during this search. I am eager to get to work with them as we look to pack JPJ on our way to creating amazing memories with the UVA faithful.”

Richmond was his last stop in collegiate basketball, spending seven years with the university (2019-2026), in which he went 148-72. Before Richmond, he was the head coach at Bucknell (2012-2019) and went 151-72. His first stint leading a program was from 2002-04 with Chicago, posting a 161-50 record as head coach.

Roussell has his work cut out for him as he adjusts to UVA and sets the program back up for postseason contention, but he has a strong track record, which should leave fans with the utmost confidence. Despite the quick turnaround, Virginia did a fine job of landing a coach who is capable of leading and succeeding on and off the court.

Now, Roussell must hit the ground running and whip his new program back into shape. Only time will tell if he will be able to bring this program back to their winning ways.