University of Virginia Hires Aaron Roussell as Women's Basketball Head Coach

The University of Virginia appointed Aaron Roussell as the new head coach of its women's basketball team. The announcement came on Tuesday evening. Roussell previously served as head coach at the University of Richmond for the past seven years.

At Richmond, Roussell led the team to a 148-72 overall record. The Spiders won two Atlantic 10 Conference titles during his tenure. Roussell earned Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors twice. Richmond advanced to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments under Roussell.

The team won at least 20 games in each of the past four seasons. In the most recent season, Richmond secured an at-large bid as the only mid-major team in the field of 68.

began his coaching career as an assistant at Division II Minnesota State.

He then became head coach at Division III University of Chicago, where he recorded 161 wins over eight seasons. The Maroons won three conference championships and made four NCAA Tournament appearances during that period. In 2012, Roussell moved to Division I as head coach at Bucknell University.

He guided the Bison to three Patriot League titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances. Roussell received Patriot League Coach of the Year honors twice at Bucknell. Roussell is one victory away from 300 career wins as a Division I head coach.

He is a graduate of the University of Iowa.

fired Amaka Agugua-Hamilton on Saturday morning.

A USA TODAY Sports report indicated that an internal investigation examined allegations of staff mistreatment. Agugua-Hamilton had a 70-58 overall record and 29-42 in Atlantic Coast Conference play during her tenure. Under Agugua-Hamilton, Virginia reached the Sweet 16 in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, its first appearance since 2018.

The team started in the First Four and defeated Arizona State, Georgia, and Iowa State before losing to TCU. Key player Kymora Johnson, who contributed to the run, has entered the transfer portal. The program last reached the Sweet 16 in 2000.

Virginia has a history of success, including three Final Four appearances in the early 1990s under Debbie Ryan.

athletic director Carla Williams oversaw the search with assistance from Parker Executive Search.

Sources connected to the search told USA TODAY Sports that the university spoke with Fairfield coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis, expressed interest in Kentucky's Kenny Brooks, and considered Navy's Tim Taylor internally. Roussell, located 70 miles southeast of Virginia's campus, emerged as the choice.

Reddit co-founder and Virginia alumnus Alexis Ohanian was not directly involved in the search, according to people familiar with the process.

Roussell becomes the fifth head coach in program history and the first man to hold the position. " — Carla Williams, Virginia Athletic Director (USA Today) The team will compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference next season. Roussell inherits a roster that reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since its expansion to 68 teams in 2022.

Future steps include roster adjustments amid the transfer portal and preparation for the upcoming season.