Historic Sweet 16, shock firing: Virginia’s 'Coach Mox' out after investigation
· Yahoo Sports
Virginia fired women’s basketball coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton Saturday after she led the Cavaliers to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000.
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On the surface, the decision was puzzling. Agugua-Hamilton, also known as "Coach Mox," had one year remaining on her deal and Virginia had its most successful season in nearly three decades. All-ACC standout Kymora Johnson also could return for her senior season in 2026-27.
But four people familiar with the situation at Virginia, including a staff member inside of the program with direct knowledge, told USA TODAY Sports that Agugua-Hamilton had been the subject of an internal investigation. The people — an NCAA women's basketball head coach, two assistant coaches and an administrator — spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. There also were allegations of staff mistreatment within the program, they said.
Virginia athletics director Carla Williams and two spokespeople for the athletic department did not immediately respond to USA TODAY Sports' requests for comment. Agugua-Hamilton's agent also did not respond to a request for comment.
The news release Virginia published on its website announcing Agugua-Hamilton’s dismissal was three sentences long: "Virginia Athletics announced today (April 4) 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."
Williams hired Agugua-Hamilton in 2022 to rebuild the program. Former coach Tina Thompson — hired in 2018 over candidates such as Cori Close and Niele Ivey — inherited a team that had gone to the second round of the NCAA Tournament the previous season but did not sustain that success. Thompson’s teams went 30-63 overall and won 15 ACC games in four seasons.
Prior to Virginia, Agugua-Hamilton was the head coach of Missouri State, where she went 74-15 with two trips to the NCAA Tournament. She then pushed Virginia, which went to three Final Fours in the early 1990s, back into relevance, increasing its win total each season. This past year, the Cavaliers went 22-12 overall and 11-7 in ACC play, their most conference wins since 2000.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, who played for the Cavaliers in all their Final Fours, was surprised Saturday when she heard Agugua-Hamilton was fired.
"I don't know what went wrong, but I think she had them on the right track," Staley said. "I hope we get it together. We have a deeply rich tradition at UVA on this stage. We hope to get our team back there one day sooner than later."
Agugua-Hamilton’s Virginia team defeated Arizona State and then upset higher-seeded Georgia and Iowa to make it to the Sweet 16 of this year's tournament. Virginia, seeded 10th, became the first double-digit seed to reach the regional semifinals in the Women’s NCAA Tournament since 2022.
Agugua-Hamilton went 70-58 overall and 29-42 in ACC play in four seasons.
Now, Williams will need to make her third women's basketball coaching hire and has to do it quickly because the transfer portal opens Monday. Virginia starter Sa'Myah Smith, who averaged 7.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, announced Saturday she is entering the transfer portal "due to the coaching change and uncertainty." Redshirt sophomore Olivia McGhee announced she was entering the portal last week.
The head coaching vacancy at Virginia is widely viewed by agents and coaches in women's basketball as the best available this cycle. Like USF, which was able to poach a sitting Power 4 head coach for its opening, the Cavaliers historically have invested in women's basketball. The program is largely bankrolled by Virginia alum Alexis Ohanian, who founded Reddit and is married to tennis superstar Serena Williams.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Virginia fires Amaka Agugua‑Hamilton after internal investigation