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24 CAVALIER CORNER BY JEFF WHITE I n the three seasons that she led the women's basketball program at Missouri State, Amaka Agugua-Hamilton (Uh- mah-kuh Uh-goo-gwa) stamped herself as one of the brightest young coaches in the college game. Among those who noticed was Debbie Ryan, who guided the University of Virginia women to three Final Fours in her 34 seasons as head coach. "I think her teams play extremely hard, and I really am impressed with her coaching acuity," Ryan said. "She's able to strategize quickly. She's a really good floor coach. She knows when to call timeouts, when not to call timeouts. She gives a lot of independence to her players, yet they understand that with freedom comes responsibility, and that's one of the key things in being a great coach." Ryan's illustrious tenure at UVA ended in 2011. Joanne Boyle succeeded her and over- saw the program for seven seasons, the last of which produced a trip to the NCAA Tourna- ment's second round. But since then, the pro- gram has declined dramatically, and Agugua- Hamilton's charge is to reverse that trend. "There's a lot of work to be done here," she said in late March at her introductory press conference at John Paul Jones Arena. "But there are a lot of blessings ahead. There are banners to be hung. This commu- nity is hungry for more, and so am I." Agugua-Hamilton, who goes by Coach Mox, succeeded Tina Thompson, whose con- tract was terminated after four seasons in which her overall record was 30-63. At Missouri State, Agugua-Hamilton posted a record of 74-15, including a 46-6 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lady Bears would have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of those seasons. They reached the Sweet 16 in 2020-21. "Anything great begins with the right people," UVA athletics director Carla Williams said. "An elite program requires selflessness by all involved, a team-first approach, a com- mitment to integrity, a relentless work ethic, a determined pursuit of excellence on and off the court, talented and coachable players, a dedicated staff, and, lastly, a leader that can bring these people and these ideals together, a leader who can inspire others to believe, and Coach Mox is that person for us here at the University of Virginia." Agugua-Hamilton, 39, has spent most of her coaching career in the Midwest, first at Indiana, then at Michigan State, where she was associate head coach, and most recently at Missouri State. But she grew up in Northern Virginia, graduated from Oakton High School and has numerous relatives in the Washington, D.C., area. She has also coached at Virginia Commonwealth, where she earned a master's degree in sports leadership and administration in 2007, and at Old Dominion. "Being home, there's no better feeling, to be honest," Agugua-Hamilton said. Agugua-Hamilton comes to UVA after posting a 74-15 overall record in three seasons at Missouri State, including a 46-6 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. (Photo by Matt Riley/courtesy UVA) REBOUND AND RUN Amaka Agugua-Hamilton Returns To Her Home State In Hope Of Leading A Basketball Revival