Virginia women’s basketball coach Tina Thompson’s stint has come to an end. Athletic Director Carla Williams has announced that the university will terminate Thompson’s contract, which has one year remaining. A Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, Thompson compiled a 30-63 record in four seasons for the Cavaliers.
Thompson could not find the same success in Charlottesville that she found in the WNBA. She was the first ever draft pick in the WNBA, selected by the Houston Comets. A nine-time all-star, Thompson helped lead the Comets to four consecutive championships from 1997 to 2000.
She retired after the 2013 season, but she returned to basketball in 2015 after accepting an assistant coaching position for the women’s basketball team at the University of Texas. Thompson spent two seasons as an assistant coach and one as the associate head coach. The Lady Longhorns reached the Sweet Sixteen twice, and the Elite Eight once with Thompson.
Thompson was hired in April of 2018 to replace Joanne Boyle, who retired after the 2017-18 season, but she had yet to break .500 in her Cavalier tenure. In the 2021-22 season, the Cavaliers lost 16 games in a row, 15 being in ACC play, before rattling off back-to-back wins over Duke and Pittsburgh. Virginia’s season ended in a 5-22 record and 2-16 in ACC action. The Cavaliers were defeated by the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 61-53, in the first round of the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament to end a disappointing era. Now, Carla Williams will try again in her search for a coach to get the team back on track.
