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DECEMBER 2023 17 BY PATRICK BOLING D espite receiving an invite to the Women's National Invitation Tournament, the Virginia women's basketball team's 2022-23 season came to a close after the Cavaliers' first and final game of the ACC Tournament. Under head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, UVA finished its campaign with a 15-15 record, tripling its win total from the previous year. The Hoos won their first 12 contests of the season, which marked the program's best start since the 1994-95 season, but ultimately a slew of injuries and thus lack of available players towards the back half of the season foiled UVA's postseason aspirations. At this year's ACC Tipoff in Charlotte, N.C., Agugua-Hamilton told a group of reporters that despite missing the postseason, "there was a lot to be proud of." "We were able to weather the storm, just keep fighting. I just loved our resilience," she said. "I always talk to them about per- severing through adversity. We had so much adversity, but we never stopped." Agugua-Hamilton and her staff arrived at UVA in the spring of 2022, and she is now confident they have assembled a roster that is capable of winning in the month of March. Not only did the Cavaliers bring in the nation's No. 13 recruiting class in Ky- mora Johnson, Olivia McGhee and Edessa Noyan, but they also added three transfers who previously played at Power Five institu- tions. UVA's transfers include Jillian Brown (Northwestern), Taylor Lauterbach (Kansas State) and Paris Clark (Arizona). "It's been quite a process I would say," said Agugua-Hamilton on integrating her newcomers with Virginia's returners. "It was kind of a seamless merge really in the sum- mer. We did a lot of team bonding, we still do a lot of team bonding, just to kind of expedite that process. "… And then on the court, I think every- body has their own unique place where they fit into our team, whether it's on both sides of the ball or one side of the ball. So, I think they understand where they can be utilized and they feel like they are needed. And ultimately, everybody feels like they're loved. So, I just think that our culture is thriving right now." In addition to an infusion of six fresh faces, the Hoos return eight players from last season, including four starters. Agugua- Hamilton believes all 14 players are more than capable of positively contributing. And with the up-tempo style of play she is known for dialing up, the Cavaliers are going to need each and every last one of them. "I expect us to be better defensively. I think we have some really, really good defenders," Agugua-Hamilton said. "We can play the way I want to play now. And also, how fast we want to play, the tempo, the pace. "I think we'll be able to sustain that for 40 minutes because we have depth. If we [sub- stitute], we have more talented players com- ing in because we don't really drop off." Both Johnson and McGhee hail from the Charlottesville area. Johnson played at St. Anne's-Belfield and was a McDonald's High School All-American in addition to being named a two-time Gatorade Virginia State Player of the Year. McGhee played three seasons at Louisa County High School before transferring to IMG Academy, one of the nation's top athletic prep schools, for her senior year. McGhee was also the na- tion's No. 45 prospect according to espnW's HoopGurlz recruiting rankings. Noyan is from Södertälje, Sweden, where she competed for numerous Swedish junior national teams. Having grown up close by, Agugua-Hamil- ton said of Johnson and McGhee, "they un- derstand where this program has been and where we're trying to take it, just the pride that putting Virginia on your chest, what that means." Among Virginia's incoming transfers, Brown and Lauterbach both have two sea- sons of eligibility remaining, while Clark has three. Having appeared in 57 games, " Most importantly for our team to be successful — our system is predicated around togetherness. We say 'family' off the court, but it is on the court as well because that's how we play. HEAD COACH AMAKA AGUGUA-HAMILTON