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cavalier sports Lattimore averaged nearly a double-double through UVA's first six games this season with 10.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. (Photo courtesy UVA) C oming into the season, Latasha Lattimore was one of the players to watch for the Cavaliers. After a two-year stint in Miami, the 6-foot-4 forward arrived in Charlottesville, one of four transfers look- ing to add depth to the Cavalier team. "She is a versatile forward who can shoot, drive and score in the low post while also being a dominant rebounder and shot blocker," head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said of her fourth-year forward. Lattimore has delivered in all those areas. She scored 15 points with 8 rebounds and 5 blocked shots in her UVA debut versus American University Nov. 4 and averaged nearly a double-double through the first six games with 10.0 points per game and 9.8 rebounds. In late November, she was ranked in the top 20 in the nation in shot blocking and in the top 25 in rebounding. She can also shoot the three, which opens up all sorts of possibilities. "We are a versatile team," Agugua-Hamilton said. "That's how we recruit, too. We want versatile players. We've got to stretch the defense, and you got to pick your poison. Do you want to guard somebody inside, or do you want to guard the perimeter? We know [Lattimore and the other posts] can do that." Lattimore is also confident that she can live up to that. "I have a lot of potential, I just have to reach out and see it in myself," Lattimore said. "I notice I've gotten a lot better since I've gotten to Virginia. I've been doing a lot more rebounding, for ex- ample. Coach Mox gets on me every single day in practice. I am just trying to help my team out as much as I can, in little ways and rebounding, stretching the floor, running the floor, all the little things I can do to make sure my team comes out with a win." Though many of her skills and those little things have been dis- played at John Paul Jones Arena this season, she has one more tal- ent that Cavalier fans have yet to see — and they can't wait to see it. Lattimore can dunk. She was already a towering 6-3 when she was in eighth grade. That alone would have made her stand out on the court. But she wasn't content to tower over everyone on the floor. She started to tower over everyone from the rim. Lattimore became an internet sensation when videos of the then 13-year-old dunking on a 10-foot rim went viral. It wasn't a fluke. "She can dunk with ease," Agugua-Hamilton confirmed. Lattimore has yet to dunk in an NCAA game, though it happens often in practice. West Virginia's Georgeann Wells was the first women's college basketball player to dunk in a game on Dec. 21, 1984. Since then, six other women have dunked in Division I contests. Baylor's Brittney Griner had the most dunks, 18, in her career. Stanford's Fran Belibi was the last to do so. She had three throwdowns before graduating in 2023. "You're definitely going to see it," Lattimore said. "If you see me say, 'Throw the ball' on a fast break, I'm going to try. It's going to happen." — Quinn Hull WINTER 2024-25 7 getting to know Women's Basketball Fourth-Year Forward Latasha Lattimore