UVA hired Amaka Agugua Hamilton, Mizzou State

[DefenseBB]

Amaka Agugua-Hamilton named head women’s basketball coach

Virginia athletics director Carla Williams announced Monday Amaka “Mox” Agugua-Hamilton as head coach of the Cavaliers’ women’s basketball program.

jerryratcliffe.com

To me, this is not a great hire. Coach Mox has done a great job at Missouri State but was there for only 3 years and has not BUILT a program and has not shown she can recruit. I fear in 4 years this search will again be occurring.

 

[UcMiami]

Amaka Agugua-Hamilton named head women’s basketball coach

Virginia athletics director Carla Williams announced Monday Amaka “Mox” Agugua-Hamilton as head coach of the Cavaliers’ women’s basketball program.

jerryratcliffe.com

To me, this is not a great hire. Coach Mox has done a great job at Missouri State but was there for only 3 years and has not BUILT a program and has not shown she can recruit. I fear in 4 years this search will again be occurring.

Yeah - their top 7 scorers are all seniors so were inherited and not recruited.

 

[Plebe]

Yeah - their top 7 scorers are all seniors so were inherited and not recruited.

Definitely a team led by seniors and super-seniors, but not all were inhereited. Abi Jackson (their top scorer after Franklin went down with an ACL injury) transferred from Auburn two years ago, so probably should be credited as a Coach Mox recruit. BTW she went from being a role player off the bench last year to their top scorer in the latter two-thirds of this season.

Mox also picked up a quality JC transfer last year in Ifunanya Nwachukwu, whose role increased significantly toward the end of the season. Had 17 rebounds in the loss to Ohio State; scored 10 and 9 in the last two games vs. FSU and OSU.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Amaka Agugua-Hamilton named head women’s basketball coach

Virginia athletics director Carla Williams announced Monday Amaka “Mox” Agugua-Hamilton as head coach of the Cavaliers’ women’s basketball program.

jerryratcliffe.com

To me, this is not a great hire. Coach Mox has done a great job at Missouri State but was there for only 3 years and has not BUILT a program and has not shown she can recruit. I fear in 4 years this search will again be occurring.

What were Geno's credentials when UCONN hired him?

 

[ed4ourgirls]

What were Geno's credentials when UCONN hired him?

Kind of Apples and Oranges here. UVa may be down at the moment, but they have a long history of
competitive women's basketball. By contrast UConn had a long history of complete irrelevance in
women's basketball. It was a case of a nothing program making a bargain basement hire. UConn
just got lucky.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Kind of Apples and Oranges here. UVa may be down at the moment, but they have a long history of
competitive women's basketball. By contrast UConn had a long history of complete irrelevance in
women's basketball. It was a case of a nothing program making a bargain basement hire. UConn
just got lucky.

Correct... History. Last NCAA appearance was a dozen years ago. They are starting from scratch. Be real. VA isn't going to break the budget on a coach.

 

[triaddukefan]

The UVA fans (at least on the forum) seem happy with the hire. She is a VA native, and coached at VCU .. time will tell

 

[DefenseBB]

What were Geno's credentials when UCONN hired him?

Seriously? Back in 1985, UConn wasn't a national program in an Elite Power Conference. And for those paying attention, Virginia just won the Women's NCAA Title in Swimming over the weekend. This is a nationally prominent school who, YES, should be able to make a significantly better hire than a person who has been a head coach for exactly 3 years and who kept the lights on at Mizzou State. It's not like she rebuilt the brand there.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Seriously? Back in 1985, UConn wasn't a national program in an Elite Power Conference. And for those paying attention, Virginia just won the Women's NCAA Title in Swimming over the weekend. This is a nationally prominent school who, YES, should be able to make a significantly better hire than a person who has been a head coach for exactly 3 years and who kept the lights on at Mizzou State. It's not like she rebuilt the brand there.

What does swimming have to do with basketball? And just because a school is in a power conference doesn't equate to being elite in a particular sport. Really? It's not as if VA is looking for a coach to get them "over the hump". They need to get to...the hump itself. New beginnings. The VA women's basketball brand was Dawn Staley. She has left the building. AND...UCONN was a national program in 1985, but like VA, they weren't winning AND they were in the Big East, an elite conference. SERIOUSLY.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I mean they could have gone with Tammi Reiss, BUT she only has 2 years experience as a Head Coach. SO...why would she be any better of a selection? She was also there when Q was dismantling the Syracuse program. And if folks want Von Reed out because..."he had to know what was going on", then she shouldn't get a pass either. And...I like Reiss. Only criticism I have with this hire is...maybe they should have taken a little more time and waited until the tournament ended. Then again...maybe they were already searching before Tina was ousted. I don't know.

 

[VA Huskie]

What does swimming have to do with basketball? And just because a school is in a power conference doesn't equate to being elite in a particular sport. Really? It's not as if VA is looking for a coach to get them "over the hump". They need to get to...the hump itself. New beginnings. The VA women's basketball brand was Dawn Staley. She has left the building. AND...UCONN was a national program in 1985, but like VA, they weren't winning AND they were in the Big East, an elite conference. SERIOUSLY.

Actually the “brand” was Debbie Ryan… and Dawn was the biggest star she recruited. I believe the comment about swimming was meant to indicate that UVA has a broad and highly regarded athletic program - with top teams in swimming, men’s bb, tennis, rowing, baseball, lacrosse, etc. So they should be looking to make the women’s bb program a top flight program as well. For me, the jury is out. I’m a season ticket holder and will certainly hope for the best.

 

[VA Huskie]

I mean they could have gone with Tammi Reiss, BUT she only has 2 years experience as a Head Coach. SO...why would she be any better of a selection? She was also there when Q was dismantling the Syracuse program. And if folks want Von Reed out because..."he had to know what was going on", then she shouldn't get a pass either. And...I like Reiss. Only criticism I have with this hire is...maybe they should have taken a little more time and waited until the tournament ended. Then again...maybe they were already searching before Tina was ousted. I don't know.

I’m sure they were searching before Tina was hired. All schools have backup plans.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Actually the “brand” was Debbie Ryan… and Dawn was the biggest star she recruited. I believe the comment about swimming was meant to indicate that UVA has a broad and highly regarded athletic program - with top teams in swimming, men’s bb, tennis, rowing, baseball, lacrosse, etc. So they should be looking to make the women’s bb program a top flight program as well. For me, the jury is out. I’m a season ticket holder and will certainly hope for the best.

That's all well and good, but let's be honest, VA womens BB is at a rebuild stage. At this point, I don't think the priority is some genius x and Os coach (there aren't that many to begin with). You need quality players first and someone who can develop them. IMO...she fits the bill and probably the budget too. That's the groundwork. If you don't have that...the future is bleak anyways.

 

[VA Huskie]

That's all well and good, but let's be honest, VA womens BB is at a rebuild stage. At this point, I don't think the priority is some genius x and Os coach (there aren't that many to begin with). You need quality players first and someone who can develop them. IMO...she fits the bill and probably the budget too. That's the groundwork. If you don't have that...the future is bleak anyways.

Couldn’t agree with you more!

 

[UConnCat]

.UCONN was a national program in 1985, but like VA, they weren't winning AND they were in the Big East, an elite conference. SERIOUSLY.

Wait, wut? In 1985 UConn was 4 years removed from the Yankee Conference. Yes, the Yankee Conference. UConn had one winning season in the Yankee Conference in 1980-81 and had it's first ever winning season in the Big East in Geno's 2nd season as head coach. The Big East was not an elite conference in women's basketball in 1985. The first Big East team to make it past the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament was Providence in 1990 and of course UConn made it to the FF in 1991. That's not exactly today's ACC.

Oh, and when Geno was hired UConn played in this building called the Fieldhouse, nothing close to the facilities in Charlottesville.

Apples and Oranges is being generous for your comparison.

 

[sun]

Coach Mox has a lot of experience and education, and it seems like she can connect with players and develop a good rapport with them, which is also important for recruiting.
It helps that she's a VA native who can work those angles, and she knows the psyche of young BB players.
This interview was posted on March 7, 2022 and it reveals who she is and why she was hired.
She's big on faith, love, family and community which many bible belt recruits in particular should be able to relate to.
A person can't watch this entire video and not see that she has a lot to offer besides her coaching credentials.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Wait, wut? In 1985 UConn was 4 years removed from the Yankee Conference. Yes, the Yankee Conference. UConn had one winning season in the Yankee Conference in 1980-81 and had it's first ever winning season in the Big East in Geno's 2nd season as head coach. The Big East was not an elite conference in women's basketball in 1985. The first Big East team to make it past the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament was Providence in 1990 and of course UConn made it to the FF in 1991.

Oh, and when Geno was hired UConn played in this building called the Fieldhouse, nothing close to the facilities in Charlottesville.

Apples and Oranges is being generous for your comparison.

So..in 85 UCONN was IN the Big East. They weren't elite in women's basketball...like VA isn't elite now. So, that means the entire Big East Conference wasn't elite because Uconn's Women's basketball wasn't good? I don't get all caught up in the conference (I didn't introduce it to this discussion...someone else did) and facilities. I'm kind of exhausted with marginal teams defending their performance by boasting their conference affiliation. Besides...the nice facilities, the invitation to "power conferences" are USUALLY the outcomes and benefits of a quality product. Some teams in conferences obviously reap the benefits of geography whether or not they have a good coach or even a good team.

Let me clarify my position here. When UCONN hired Geno...they were starting from scratch and his resume wasn't as substantial. It's not a knock against Geno. UCONN took a chance because they had nothing to lose. VA women's basketball, with a history long in the rearview mirror, is starting over or close to it. What does VA have to lose here with the current, and well established trajectory of VAWBB? I don't think an institution needs to go broke to find a coach that fits their needs. Sometimes these ADs can be so predictable in their selections. First thing most of them look for is some tie to the institution...totally ignoring the substance of a candidate's credentials. Lots of good coaches out there waiting to be called upon.

 

[UcMiami]

What were Geno's credentials when UCONN hired him?

Different era!!! And a bottom dwelling team hiring. What were Pats credentials when she was hired?

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Different era!!! And a bottom dwelling team hiring. What were Pats credentials when she was hired?

The issue isn't the era. The issue is the state of the team when you hire. There's no difference. New start.

 

[WLT1717]

Amaka Agugua-Hamilton named head women’s basketball coach

Virginia athletics director Carla Williams announced Monday Amaka “Mox” Agugua-Hamilton as head coach of the Cavaliers’ women’s basketball program.

jerryratcliffe.com

To me, this is not a great hire. Coach Mox has done a great job at Missouri State but was there for only 3 years and has not BUILT a program and has not shown she can recruit. I fear in 4 years this search will again be occurring.

 

[WLT1717]

Couldn’t agree more. Very thin HC resume; coached solid players recruited by Harper. Rolled out the ball. That won’t work in the ACC. Yes, she’s from VA but VA isn’t loaded with talent and in the DMV you have to compete with MD for area recruits. UVA should’ve waited, then offered a blank check, to Berube. Mox will last 5 years and while she will win more games than her predecessor (impossible not to) she won’t make a dent in the ACC.

 

[WLT1717]

What were Geno's credentials when UCONN hired him?

Is this a serious question?

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Is this a serious question?

Yea. How about yours?

 

[sivad40]

I mean they could have gone with Tammi Reiss, BUT she only has 2 years experience as a Head Coach. SO...why would she be any better of a selection? She was also there when Q was dismantling the Syracuse program. And if folks want Von Reed out because..."he had to know what was going on", then she shouldn't get a pass either. And...I like Reiss. Only criticism I have with this hire is...maybe they should have taken a little more time and waited until the tournament ended. Then again...maybe they were already searching before Tina was ousted. I don't know.

Tammi Reiss didn't want the job.

No, Virginia, there is no Tammi Reiss — URI coach has 'unfinished business' in Kingston

She revived the URI women's basketball program, sparking rumors of her departure. On Friday, the coach put those to rest.

www.providencejournal.com

According to this article, Berube from Princeton and Coach Abe from UCF were also considered for the job.

https://www./ncaaw/acc/amaka-mox-agugua-hamilton-virginia-uva-wbb-acc-hire-coach-news/

 

[JellyBean]

Congrats, Coach Agugua-Hamilton and UVA WBB program. Looking forward to watching this program grow and get better.