By Jerry Ratcliffe

The majority of Wahoo Nation was shocked on Saturday afternoon when news broke that Virginia women’s basketball coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton would not be returning to the program after four years on the job.

UVA’s announcement, which was a terse, three-sentence press release, stunned the fan base, coming only days after Agugua-Hamilton, better known as “Coach Mox,” had led the Cavaliers to their first NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in a quarter-century.

Little did those outside the program know of the toxic environment in the women’s program that led to essentially a player revolt.

The first signs of trouble came earlier in the week when Olivia “O” McGhee announced plans to transfer with two years of eligibility remaining.

According to several unnamed sources with close knowledge of the women’s program, the entire team (two exceptions) were planning to enter the transfer portal as early as Monday. The same sources said that Agugua-Hamilton also was abusive to support staff and threatened to fire staff, who were scared for their job security.

If you want even more award-winning coverage on the UVA athletics department, including its nationally-ranked football and basketball programs, be sure to subscribe to “Cavalier Exclusive” to follow all of Virginia Sports Hall Of Famer Jerry “Hootie” Ratcliffe’s analysis and content. It’s the best in the business for Wahoo Fans!

Coach Mox went through four creative video assistants in four years, one of them quitting on the spot after one dispute. She also fired two strength coaches, and would verbally “ream out” support staff with outbursts, according to sources.

“It was a toxic, nightmarish atmosphere,” one source said.

Virginia’s official press release read like this — no quotes from Carla Williams, director of athletics, who was on the Cavaliers’ most recent trip to Sacramento:

“Virginia Athletics announced today Amaka Agugua-Hamilton will not return as head coach of the women’s basketball program.

“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.”

According to Lulu Kesin of “The Greenville (S.C.) News,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, a UVA playing legend, said Saturday that she had reached out to Virginia’s Williams and to Agugua-Hamilton, but that she had no personal knowledge of what prompted the firing.

Agugua-Hamilton had one year remaining on her contract.

Grace Raynor of “The Athletic,” quoted Staley, who said: “I don’t know what went wrong but I think she had them on the right track and I hope we get it together. We’ve got a deeply rich tradition at UVA on this stage and we hope to get our team back there (Final Four) one day sooner than later.”

Staley has kept in close contact with Virginia over the years.

Williams is now faced with the task of hiring the fourth UVA women’s coach since legendary Debbie Ryan retired. Williams has fired the last two coaches she hired for the women’s program, so there is some pressure to get it right this time.

Potential candidates for the job include:

• UCLA’s Cori Close, who will be playing Staley’s South Carolina team for the national championship on Sunday. Close led the Bruins to their first-ever Final Four appearances and has earned national Coach of the Year honors. She was previously associate head coach at Florida State for seven seasons.
• Tim Taylor, a former assistant coach at Virginia and highly respected in the women’s game, has been at the helm of Navy’s women’s program for six seasons. He has a record of 71-95, is known as a player’s coach with a volume of basketball knowledge.
• Kenny Brooks, head basketball coach at Kentucky since 2024, previously served as head coach at Virginia Tech (2016-24) and JMU (2003-2016), has a record of 48-19 (.716) with the Wildcats. Brooks is a Waynesboro, Va., native and had his eyes on the Virginia job for years. Some behind-the-scenes observers believe Brooks might still have some interest.

If you want even more award-winning coverage on the UVA athletics department, including its nationally-ranked football and basketball programs, be sure to subscribe to “Cavalier Exclusive” to follow all of Virginia Sports Hall Of Famer Jerry “Hootie” Ratcliffe’s analysis and content. It’s the best in the business for Wahoo Fans!