Ariel Stephenson joined the Cavaliers as an assistant coach on April 17, 2026.
Stephenson joins the Cavaliers following three seasons on Roussell’s staff at Richmond. During that period, the Spiders captured a pair of Atlantic-10 regular season titles, the 2024 A10 Tournament championship, made three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament including the program’s first tournament win in 2025.
Following her second season at Richmond, Stephenson was named to the 2025 WBCA Thirty Under 30 list, a national honor recognizing up-and-coming women’s basketball coaches who demonstrate exemplary involvement in community service, mentorship, and impact on student-athletes.
Prior to joining the Spiders, Stephenson spent a pair of seasons at Davidson where she spent the 2021-22 season as the program’s Director of Player Development before being promoted to Director of Basketball Operations ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Stephenson spent the 2021-22 season at George Washington where she served as a graduate assistant and video coordinator.
At Virginia, Stephenson will make her return to the ACC after a standout four-year playing career at Wake Forest. A two-year captain for the Demon Deacons, she became Wake Forest’s 25th member of the 1,000-point club in 2018 while earning All-ACC Academic and All-Rookie honors during her career in Winston-Salem. Stephenson transferred to George Washington for her final season of eligibility as a graduate student before transitioning to a graduate assistant role.
Stephenson earned a bachelor’s degree in health and exercise science from Wake Forest in 2019 and earned a master’s degree in sport management from George Washington in 2021.