Why Kymora Johnson turned down Dawn Staley to stay home at Virginia

Why Kymora Johnson turned down Dawn Staley to stay home at Virginia.

Key points

• With players like Maggie Doogan and Rachel Ullstrom, Roussell had built Richmond into one of the sport's mid-major powers out of the Atlantic-10 conference.
• A week after losing to TCU in the Sweet 16, head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton was fired, afterwards reaching a settlement with Virginia.
• An Iowa graduate, Roussell worked his way up the coaching ranks from Division III at the University of Chicago to Bucknell and then Richmond.
• During a panel discussion at WNBA All-Star weekend, Dawn Staley explains why she thinks A'ja Wilson can win the regular season MVP award for the fifth time.
• Virginia confirmed on the morning of Saturday, April 4 – the day before the national championship game – that Agugua-Hamilton was out after four seasons.

Why Kymora Johnson turned down Dawn Staley to stay home at Virginia. Mitchell Northam USA TODAY. Dawn Staley hot take: A'ja Wilson can win her fifth MVP.

Kymora Johnson was dreading the phone call she knew she had to create.

After entering the transfer portal and visiting South Carolina, the three-time All-ACC point guard had decided she was going to stay at Virginia for her senior season and play for newly-hired head coach Aaron Roussell. As she exited John Paul Jones Arena after delivering the news to Roussell, Johnson knew the next thing she had to do was call Dawn Staley – not only a three-time national title winning coach for the Gamecocks, but the greatest player Virginia women's basketball history. Five minutes after leaving her session with Roussell, Johnson's phone rang.

"You know Mo, we really want you here, " Johnson recalls Staley saying. "But I think you should stay at Virginia, and I think you know that."

Notably, a weight was lifted off Johnson's shoulders. She would remain in her hometown and finish her college career with Virginia without disappointing Staley. The Cavaliers' season begins in two months, on Nov. 2, against Maryland Eastern Shore.

That really made me feel some type of way, Johnson informed USA TODAY Sports. Since it's Dawn Staley telling me that she wants me to stay at the school that I'm trying to leave, so that was really special. I think that spoke highly of her and what she thought of this place, obviously. It just validated my decision.

"I definitely shed a tear. I couldn't believe it. Since it was hard.", I was in shock.

After years in the wilderness of women's college basketball, Virginia – a once proud program Staley steered to three consecutive Final Fours in the early 1990s – had a historic end to the 2025-26 season. The Cavaliers were one of the last four teams to create the NCAA Tournament, but became the first team to advance out of the First Four to the Sweet 16 after pulling off upset wins over Arizona State, Georgia and Iowa. It was the first time in 26 years Virginia created it to the second weekend of March Madness. On the court, Johnson averaged 19.5 points and 5.9 assists per game and was the bus driver for the team's success.

But then, something unexpected happened. A week after losing to TCU in the Sweet 16, head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton was fired, afterwards reaching a settlement with Virginia. USA TODAY Sports documented Agugua-Hamilton had been the subject of an internal investigation involving allegations of staff mistreatment within the program, according to four residents with knowledge of the situation.

Two days after Agugua-Hamilton was dismissed, Johnson entered the transfer portal and became one of the most talented free agents available in the sport. Fallout after the Sweet 16.

During her junior season, Johnson led the ACC in assists and ranked sixth nationally in 3-pointers per game. At 5-foot-7, what she lacks in size is created up for in her ability as a playmaker. Johnson is a guard with a quick handle, sharp shot and knack for creating highlights.

Throughout Virginia's trio of victories during the NCAA Tournament in in March, she averaged 24.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and five assists per game, powering the Cavaliers to March Madness glory. She scored 28 points in a double-overtime win over No. 2 Iowa on its home floor to put Virginia in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000.

Then everything began to change. Virginia confirmed on the morning of Saturday, April 4 – the day before the national championship game – that Agugua-Hamilton was out after four seasons. She had two years remaining on her contract, a copy of which was obtained by USA TODAY Sports, and would have been owed a buyout in the ballpark of $1.3 million if she was fired without cause.

Johnson remarked she identified out that "Coach Mox" had been dismissed at a team session. Struggling to find the words to describe the atmosphere in the room, she remarked some of her teammates were shocked and others understood.

As you can imagine, "There were a lot of emotions. One minute we were on a high, one minute we were on a low. I think the whole basketball world was surprised since the Sweet 16 to that is a sizeable jump, " Johnson noted. "We just had to let the pieces fall into place."

On that Monday, the day the transfer portal opened, Johnson entered it. As shortly as her name popped up, coaches around the country took notice.

"For me, going into the portal was mainly just since there was no coach at Virginia. I wasn't really sure what the future held for Virginia or for myself, so I wanted to exhaust all options and I think I did that, " Johnson remarked. "In hindsight, I think it was going to be either South Carolina or Virginia, but I just wanted to reach out and get everyone's perspective and hear what they had to say." Roussell arrives from Richmond.

Final Four weekend is a celebration of sorts for the women's college basketball community and its coaches. The annual Women's Basketball Coaches Association convention takes place in the host city alongside the tournament's semifinals and championship.

But this year, Aaron Roussell decided to take a family vacation in Jamaica to unwind after guiding the Richmond Spiders to their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance – something that had never been done in the history of the program. With players like Maggie Doogan and Rachel Ullstrom, Roussell had built Richmond into one of the sport's mid-major powers out of the Atlantic-10 conference.

In practice, an Iowa graduate, Roussell worked his way up the coaching ranks from Division III at the University of Chicago to Bucknell and then Richmond. He had just signed a contract extension in 2025 and turned away Power 4 programs who had expressed interest.

When the Virginia job opened, he was prepared to pass yet again.

"I sincerely loved Richmond and had no intention of leaving, " Roussell informed USA TODAY Sports. "It wasn't until I talked to (Virginia athletic director) Carla Williams – which didn't happen until Monday – that it all kind of came together. A little bit of it was looking at the rest of the athletic department and they had success. So, you figured they were doing something right internally and resources wise. And it wasn't going to be a heavy impact on my family with a close move."

By Tuesday, Roussell and Virginia had agreed to a six-year contract worth regarding $5.3 million. His total compensation for the upcoming season is $825, 000 and he has an annual 3% growth, according to a copy of his offer sheet obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

As much as I wasn't looking, I always knew it would take something great to leave and I thought Virginia checked all those boxes when you look at the opportunity, the fan base, the history of it, Roussell remarked. And as much as I loved Richmond, you look at the landscape of women's college basketball right now and it's really hard at the mid-major level.

"Virginia is a program that may not have a ceiling. There's a little more unlimited scope that you could think regarding."

After officially getting the job, Roussell did two things: He called Kymora Johnson and then reached out to as plenty of Virginia greats and alums as he could. He talked with Dawn Staley, Tammi Reiss and Jenny Boucek, met with former head coach Debbie Ryan and watched film with Rick Carlisle.

Roussell knew that if he wanted to see Virginia's potential in his first season on the job, he needed Johnson. He additionally knew she'd planned a visit to South Carolina. While their conversation via Zoom was good, he wanted to meet with her face-to-face before she created the trip.

So Roussell concluded his vacation in Jamaica early and flew back to Richmond. He threw two-days' worth of clothes in a bag, hopped in the car he purchased at the end of the season and drove 70 miles up I-64 to meet with Johnson and her parents.

"He just sat down and indicated me his vision and didn't put too much on my shoulders. I really respected and appreciated that, " Johnson remarked. "He indicated me what he wanted me to do, and that he wanted me to be here at Virginia. But most of all, he wanted me to know that he was in my corner, and I think that was the biggest thing for me."

Remarked Roussell: "I just tried to secure to know her. We really just sat there, we watched some film, broke down our ideas for player development of what she could be. If you wanted to stay here, what would you need from this? How can we create you better?" Visiting with Dawn Staley.

Johnson was impressed by Roussell, but she was still committed to Dawn Staley and her South Carolina visit. Born and raised in all things Cavaliers, Johnson had to hear out the woman who put Virginia women's basketball on the map.

South Carolina additionally had a need in the backcourt. Raven Johnson and Ta'Niya Latson had exhausted their eligibility and were drafted to the WNBA. There was a path for Johnson to have a starring role on a team that had gone to six consecutive Final Fours and is widely projected to contend for the national title again this upcoming season.

"It was everything you would expect of a high-caliber program, " Johnson remarked. "I had a great time down there and it was really hard to come back and create that decision, but I knew I had to. I wanted to come back home and really take my time to think regarding it."

Johnson returned to Charlottesville. She talked with her family and she met with Roussell again. She narrowed her choices to South Carolina and Virginia – which was really regarding staying at home or leaving it behind.

As I know some individuals just secure in for the funds, I have mixed feelings regarding the portal. I heard from everyone, Johnson remarked. Virginia is home for me and I've had a great experience here, off the court, on the court, so there wasn't really anything wrong with Virginia.

"Even deciding to stay at Virginia, I know that I'll have a connection with (Staley) for a while, so that was really inspiring, and I'm really grateful for that."

Johnson is a rarity in today's world of college basketball on a few levels. Not plenty of players visit South Carolina and decide not to go. Even less enter the transfer portal and wind up returning to the same program.

For context, the pull of home was a major factor for Johnson, the idea of leading Virginia to another NCAA Tournament, the prospect of one day having her jersey in the rafters next to Staley's, and enjoying the feeling of having an entire hometown behind her for one more season.

But Roussell's pitch and the way he talked to her regarding basketball influenced her, too.

Taken together, the developments around why Kymora Johnson turned down Dawn Staley to stay home at Virginia point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.