Summer School in Session for Cavaliers

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The new head women’s basketball coach at the University of Virginia won’t have a full complement of players on Grounds until later in the summer, but he’s OK with that. Much can be accomplished in the meantime, and Aaron Roussell saw progress during the Cavaliers’ first week of summer workouts and practices.

“It’s always a process,” Roussell said Friday morning at John Paul Jones Arena, “but I think there's been some really, really strong moments, some really great highlights.

“I feel like we're getting open shots, so I think they're starting to grasp what we're looking for from a concept standpoint within our offense. I think we have some firepower out here. It'll be fun to watch, especially at the end of this eight weeks.”

In the women’s practice gym at JPJ this week were nine players: returners Kymora Johnson, Olivia McGhee, Breona Hurd and Tabitha Amanze, plus newcomers Janaé Walker, Eris Lester, Mary-Anna Asare, Lyla Coogen and Erica Gribble. (Amanze, recovering from a knee injury, has been rehabbing on the side with athletic trainer Anthony Crescienzi.)

“It was great,” Johnson said. “I think the energy is high. Vibes are high. Obviously, we don't have everyone, so it's hard to get up and down and see what the [full team] will look like. But we're going hard, competing, having fun.

“Really, I think this week was just about getting to know each other. We all got here literally Sunday. That was our first time meeting everyone, so we’re working together, playing together, figuring out how to get our chemistry together.”

The Wahoos’ 2026-27 roster also includes returner Adeang Ring and newcomers Caterina Piatti (Italy), Emilie Brzonova (Czech Republic) and Sintija Aukštikalnytė (Lithuania).

Ring, who’s been home in Australia, is expected back in Charlottesville this weekend. The others are in Europe playing for their respective countries, and their schedules are more fluid. How their teams fare this summer will determine when they come to the United States.

In some ways, Roussell said, having fewer players in the gym makes teaching “a little bit easier right now. And then when the other kids come, these guys are going to help teach that group.

“It’s always hard in theory. This is the first time that you have to teach everybody new things, and after this [first stretch of summer] you're going to have at least have some kids that know what they're doing. So I do think that'll be a positive when we when we get to the point when everybody comes back, that we're going to have a majority of kids that know what they're doing in helping with that group. So it's almost in phases.”

Roussell came to UVA in April after seven seasons as head coach at the University of Richmond. The Spiders went 148-72 overall under Roussell and advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of his final three seasons. UR hadn’t made the NCAAs in 14 years when he took over the program in 2019.

Since being hired at Virginia, Roussell has spent most of his time putting together a staff, assembling a roster, and targeting prospects in the high school. He's clearly enjoyed being back on the court this week.

“For all the craziness of the last eight weeks, this is the most normal it's been,” Roussell said, “when your feet are back on the court and getting to coach basketball. It's been a lot of fun.”

Roussell was front and center during most drills, encouraging his players and pointing out how they could be more effective.

“After the second day of practice,” Johnson said Friday with a laugh, “I told him, ‘You’re like a nerd of basketball.’

"He’s always taking notes, always writing something down. adding something in. So it's really exciting and really, really important to have our leader pay attention to those details and break it down to the bottom, because in the game, it comes down to that.”

Apprised of Johnson’s evaluation, Roussell smiled.

“I don't take offense to that,” he said. “I think that's something I really love, especially the offensive side of it and kind of seeing the synergy of the people on the court. We’re always looking for different things to serve our players and make sure that they get a great experience and good actions out on the court.”

New episode of 𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙃𝙪𝙧𝙙?👂🎙️
No words allowed. Just vibes. 😂#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/1KHNn8OfIS

— Virginia Women's Basketball (@UVAWomensHoops) June 19, 2026

A 5-foot-7 senior who grew up in Charlottesville and starred at nearby St. Anne’s-Belfield School, Johnson is the Cavaliers’ most accomplished player and one of the nation’s top guards. An All-ACC selection, she led the Hoos in points, assists, steals, 3-pointers and minutes played in 2025-26.

Johnson is likely to shoulder ample responsibility during the coming season. For now, however, “I'm not asking her to do anything different than the rest of them,” Roussell said.

“I think just by nature, she's a fantastic leader. She gets really competitive. The time will come that we'll ask a little bit more. But right now, I'm not trying to put pressure on her. I'm just trying to let her learn with the rest of her teammates.

She's just trying to learn and grasp the concepts, and she’s doing a fantastic job. Her presence out here has been awesome as a head coach.”

Johnson heads into her fourth year as the program’s leader in career 3-pointers made (231), and she ranks ninth all-time in career points (1,725) and fourth in career assists (558).

“Time flies,” said Johnson, who made her debut as a Cavalier on Nov. 8, 2023. “It’s been run.”

Now comes another challenge for No. 21, and Johnson said she’s looking forward to “using my voice and being a leader on and off the court. Obviously, learning a new system is hard, but I'm going to embrace it and figure it out.”

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