Increased Depth Providing Flexibility and Versatility for Virginia Women's Basketball

Last season, Virginia women’s basketball started the season 13-0 and Coach Mox looked to help her team make a mark on the crowded ACC field in her first year leading the program. While a win over No. 22 NC State was a statement game for the Cavaliers, a 4-14 record in the ACC and a 15-15 overall record was less than expected, especially after the hot start. 

One of the main reasons for the disappointing end to the season was a lack of depth, caused by a small team (only 11 players), injuries to stars Mir McLean and Sam Brunelle, and various player availability changes throughout the season. Virginia played with seven players multiple times late in the season and was even down to six players for a game, and then declined a WNIT bid because of that roster shortage. 

This season, Coach Mox’s team boasts 14 players, with 13 currently healthy and Mir McLean hoping to make her season debut somewhere down the road after completing her recovery from last season’s injury.

Three transfers (Jillian Brown, Paris Clark, Taylor Lauterbach) and three freshmen (Kymora Johnson, Olivia McGhee, and Edessa Noyan) have given Coach Mox options when crafting lineups with returners Sam Brunelle, London Clarkson, Kaydan Lawson, Cady Pauley, Alexia Smith, Camryn Taylor, and Yonta Vaughn.

As of now, Coach Mox has employed nine different players in the starting lineup. The last four games have had the same lineup of Kymora Johnson, Paris Clark, Alexia Smith, Sam Brunelle, and Camryn Taylor, so there is a chance that Coach Mox has found some consistency there. However, Jillian Brown, London Clarkson, and Yonta Vaughn have been major contributors and are averaging 20 minutes a game. 

In fact, Yonta Vaughn made the All-Tournament Team at the Cayman Classic while coming off the bench, and Virginia is averaging about 26 bench points per game. That statistic was unheard of last season when the bench was only one or two players. 

Depth adds options, backups when there is foul trouble, and also energy. Virginia currently ranks sixth in the country in rebounds per game and seventh in offensive rebounds per game. Virginia thrived on the glass last year, but having fresh legs helps keep that advantage for all 40 minutes. 

While a 7-2 record with the only losses coming to the No. 7 and No. 25 ranked teams is an excellent spot to be in, Coach Mox and her team have a lot more work to get done. To start, Sam Brunelle, Kaydan Lawson, and Paris Clark are all returning from injuries. While Brunelle and Clark have played well in the starting lineup recently, adding three new players into the lineup mix makes things difficult for the players to establish a rhythm. Building chemistry can happen only to a certain extent until all the players are on the floor together, so now that everyone is back but Mir McLean, it’s time to see what this team is made of. Having two ten-day breaks between games allows for lots of practice reps that will be beneficial, but game opportunities will be the true test. 

In addition to the players building cohesion on the court, Coach Mox and her staff have the challenge of figuring out the ideal lineup combinations. That is never an easy task, and it becomes especially difficult when there are 13 players vying for playing time. Having options is far better than the shortage of players from before, but it does warrant an additional level of coaching. Luckily, Coach Mox appears more than capable of handling this challenge.

When asked about her philosophy with lineup changes, Coach Mox explained that it is an “ever-evolving thing.”

Later, she added “I don’t ever really have a preset rotation. Some coaches do, I don’t. I just go off of feel. Who’s been practicing well. And that’s why you’ve seen our starting lineup change a little bit”

Having this flexibility with rotations allows for quick corrections both by subbing in a player who has an opportunity to make a difference and giving a player who is struggling a break rather than getting stuck in a rut.

Coach Mox also explained that “You never know whose night it’s going to be” so she wants to feed the hot hand whenever possible. Because of her team’s culture of selflessness and giving, she expects her players to continue to be great teammates.

The words from the head coach and the nine games we’ve seen so far seem to be good signs, but the true test of Virginia's depth and teamwork will come in ACC play. The Hoos will need to be in tip-top shape to face No. 3 NC State on New Year’s Eve, and then enter the grueling stretch of ACC play with two tough games every week.

Virginia has two more non-conference matchups to tune up before conference play, beginning with Saturday's matchup at home against Wofford at 1pm.

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