The plan this season is to keep star junior guard Kymora Johnson airborne less often, but she closed the first pre-practice huddle of the fall with a flying chest bump. After averaging nearly 37 minutes per game last season, Virginia’s All-ACC guard finally has reinforcements within the Cavalier ranks.
“[Coach Mox and I] were talking about it in my preseason meeting, just figuring out ways to adjust my playing time and minutes,” Johnson said. “And I think more than physically, it took a toll on me mentally.”
Last year’s roster succumbed to short rotations by February, undermining the flashes of elite potential, shown in games such as their upset win over then-ranked Virginia Tech.
“There were so many games last year where we had to climb out of a hole,” Coach Amaka “Mox” Agugua-Hamilton said. “We hit adversity and then… nobody stopped the bleeding. We didn't respond until it was too late, and we were fighting, fighting, fighting … we just ran out of time.”
This year, the coaching staff’s bet is simple — more options across the court will steady the week-to-week “valleys” that undercut last season’s “peaks.”
“The deeper you are as a team, the further you go in March,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “Last year wasn’t indicative of how I like to play … those kids burned out … I know that’s not gonna be us this year.”
Virginia’s roster is now stocked with veteran players who already know how to handle the relentless grind of collegiate basketball, giving Agugua-Hamilton the committee that her system demands. In fact, she said it is the first time in years that Virginia has enough depth to run her full playbook without overtaxing star players — and she plans on leaning into that freedom.
To ensure the Cavaliers won’t face the same fate, Agugua-Hamilton spent the spring assembling one of the ACC’s most aggressive portal hauls, targeting a balance of both versatility and maturity.
“They came here because they believed in myself, my vision, my staff and the players that are here,” Agugua-Hamilton said of the newcomers. “They feel cared for … They see where they can fit into our system.”
One especially notable pickup is junior forward Sa’Myah Smith, who spent three seasons at powerhouse Louisiana State under renowned Coach Kim Mulkey, and even won a national championship with the Tigers in 2023.
“[Sa’Myah] brings a lot of winning experience,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “She's been on the floor contributing to winning a national championship. So just the mindset that you bring when you've been through that is always going to be beneficial.”
With Smith projected as a key leader in the frontcourt, Johnson returns as the floor general, commanding the offense. Johnson’s 17.9 points and six rebounds per game largely set the Cavaliers’ ceiling last season — not to mention her historic triple-double against Pitt — but her near-constant presence on the court also exposed the program’s fragility. This fall, relief has arrived — freshman Gabby White is the priority backup point guard, and junior Florida State transfer Raiane Dias Dos Santos is equally capable at the same position.
Senior guard Paris Clark, along with Johnson, accompanied Agugua-Hamilton to the ACC Tip-Off media day. All three sang White’s praises when asked who had been standing out in early practices.
“Gabby, you know, she's a coach's kid,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “She comes in just with a really high IQ and work ethic. She's ahead of her time [for a freshman] … I really like what she brings.”
With White and the seven transfers joining only five returners, meshing so many new faces had the potential to be daunting. Fortunately for the Cavaliers, sophomore forward Adeang Ring — who spent her freshman season at Central Florida — said that hasn’t been the case.
“Honestly, before I came here, I was a bit nervous because, you know, seven transfers, it’s a lot,” Ring said. “But it's amazing, we gelled together so quickly. I think everyone is so accepting of all the different personalities … I love it here.”
The bevy of portal additions was a focal point of Virginia’s offseason — and rightfully so — but the returning Cavaliers are equally important. Those who have spent multiple seasons in Agugua-Hamilton’s system are at the forefront of the newcomer-returner merge, with Johnson and Clark leading the charge as the team’s captains. Both guards were elected captain by their teammates for the second year in a row.
The returners are clearly comfortable in Virginia’s system and what is expected of them. Although they set the standard, Agugua-Hamilton said the newcomers have been quick to buy-in.
“This has been the most camaraderie [and] the most talent since I've been here, and also the most competitive spirit.” Agugua-Hamilton said.
It is easy to see where one area of this competition has sparked — the frontcourt. A quick scan of the women’s practice gym shows that the question of rim protection now has a plural answer — or eight, to be exact. That is how many Cavaliers on this roster meet or exceed the 6-foot-2 mark, giving Virginia the size it needs to wall off the paint.
The team already averaged 5.6 blocks per game last season with far less size, so this year the expectation is that those block numbers will undoubtedly climb. Ring, standing at 6-foot-5, is one of these eight giants — at Central Florida she averaged 12 blocks and now has teammates alongside her that are just as talented in the post. She said the competitiveness amongst the many new bigs has been complemented via an abundance of support from the coaching staff.
“I just feel very confident when it comes to practices, and I can't wait to see how that looks in games,” Ring said. “But overall, we have a staff who instills a lot of confidence into their players, and this is the most confidence I've had instilled into me since playing at the collegiate level.”
With so many tall defenders behind them, the guards can pressure the ball higher up the floor without leaving the basket exposed. The result should be fewer frantic scramble plays, more consistent performances from week-to-week and high-intensity press defense. When asked more about the press this coming season, though, Agugua-Hamilton smiled.
“I can’t tell you all our secrets now,” Agugua-Hamilton said.
Fortunately for fans, they will not have to wait long to see what she meant — the first hints may come Oct. 30, when Virginia tips off against Frostburg State in an exhibition match at John Paul Jones Arena. Ahead of that 2025-26 debut, Agugua-Hamilton has a message for the Charlottesville community as the season kicks off.
“Bring a friend … bring somebody with you, and let's see if we can really pack JPJ,” Agugua-Hamilton said. “You know, there's no reason why we can't sell out this place.”
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