Editor’s Note: This article was first published March 30 and will be updated throughout the women’s basketball offseason.
After a 17-15 season concluded with a sour defeat March 6 against California, the Cavaliers are set for an eventful offseason.
Despite boasting bountiful talent across the roster — led by sophomore guard Kymora Johnson, an All-ACC First Teamer — Virginia fell short of expectations. The Cavaliers finished 10th in the ACC, just one step above their 11th place finish from the 2023-24 campaign.
As a result, it is perfectly reasonable to expect significant retooling across the roster. This tracker will follow the offseason’s biggest updates.
March 31: Latasha Lattimore
Lattimore is heading to Mississippi, On3 reported March 31. She reunites with assistant coach Quentin Hillsman, who was the coach at Syracuse when Lattimore was initially committed to play there.
In 2024-25, Lattimore averaged 14.3 points per game. That mark would have topped all Rebel scorers. This season, Mississippi reached the Sweet 16 — where they were eliminated by UCLA Friday.
As for Virginia, a lot of production will be lost. Lattimore was the team’s second-leading scorer and the leading rebounder. She accounted for 19.7 percent of the Cavaliers’ total points and 20.2 percent of their total rebounds. Lattimore was essential defensively as well, accounting for 38.8 percent of Virginia’s blocks. — Xander Tilock
March 28: Assistant Coach Ronald Hughey
The veteran coach is heading to Virginia after spending the past 11 seasons as Houston’s head coach.
As an assistant, he has been coaching college basketball since 2004. He previously spent time at Florida State, Texas, Rutgers, Central Florida, South Carolina and South Carolina State.
Hughey becomes the most experienced assistant on Head Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton’s staff. —- Xander Tilock
March 25: Latasha Lattimore
The senior forward entered the portal with a “do not contact” tag, On3 reported March 25.
Lattimore, a 6-foot-4 forward, was Virginia’s second leading scorer in 2024-25, as she averaged 14.3 points per game. She led the team in rebounding with 8.2 rebounds per game.
247 Sports graded Lattimore as one of the top transfers in the portal. If she ends up at another school, it will be her third in five years. —- Xander Tilock
March 25: Edessa Noyan
Rising junior guard Edessa Noyan is also entering the transfer portal, as reported by On3 March 25.
A 6-foot-4 forward, Noyan was a solid point-scorer off the bench for the Cavaliers when healthy. She was, however, sidelined with pneumonia for just under a month early in the season. Noyan averaged 5.7 points per game and 4.3 rebounds in the season despite the illness.
While she saw limited minutes, she brought a wealth of international experience, most recently as a member of Sweden’s U20 National Team for the 2024 Nordic Championship. She is the third player to hit the portal. —- Lauren Halak
March 25: Payton Dunbar
Payton Dunbar, a rising sophomore guard, has entered the portal after just a year with the program, as reported by On3 March 25.
Dunbar, a 5-foot-11 guard, appeared in 15 games for Virginia, averaging 1.9 points per game on 22.2 percent shooting. She scored a career-high nine points in her debut appearance against American but played limited minutes against ACC teams.
Dunbar announced her commitment to Providence March 26, shortly after having entered the portal. — Cecilia Mould
March 25: Casey Valenti-Paea
Graduate guard Casey Valenti-Paea has entered the transfer portal, On3 reported March 25.
Valenti-Paea, a former transfer from Long Beach State, played in 30 games for Virginia this season. She averaged 2.1 points per game and shot 27.8 percent from the three-point line.
If Valenti-Paea does land at another program, she will do so for the third time, moving to her fourth school in five years. — Cecilia Mould
March 20: Hawa Doumbouya
Sophomore center Hawa Doumbouya shared plans to enter the transfer portal March 20, as reported by On3.
After redshirting her first and only season at Virginia, the former transfer from Maryland will move on after just a year with the Cavaliers.
In the 2023-24 campaign, Doumbouya appeared in 13 games for Maryland and averaged 2.1 points per game as well as 1.5 rebounds per game. — Cecilia Mould
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