Virginia was fighting to keep its season alive against California March 6. The Cavaliers trailed 24-13 after the first quarter and needed a heroic comeback. That slim hope however, was quickly quelled when one of Virginia’s stars, senior forward Latasha Lattimore, collapsed on the floor and was helped off the court.
Lattimore did not return, and the Cavaliers’ season ended with a 75-58 loss. Without their star forward, Virginia was out-rebounded 46-28, and its weaknesses were exposed. Poor rebounding, inefficient offense, pedestrian defense and other fatal flaws led to the Cavaliers exiting the ACC Tournament early.
As the dust settles, Virginia finished the 2024-25 season with a 17-15 record, just a tick above their 16-16 record from the year prior. Simply put, improvement was limited. Despite an All-ACC campaign from sophomore guard Kymora Johnson, the Cavaliers once again failed to reach the NCAA Tournament. Below, two beat writers reflect on the season.
What went wrong?
Victoria Blankenship, Senior Writer: The Cavaliers’ offense relied too heavily on Lattimore and Johnson — the duo each averaged more than 14 points per game, even hitting season and career highs of 30 or more points in just one matchup. While it is extremely helpful to have such strong players supporting the offense, it quickly became a dependence instead of just a benefit.
Peeks of a better offense would come out at times, though. Junior guard Paris Clark’s 17-point performance against the Tar Heels highlighted just how much of a force the Cavaliers could be with more than one strong shooter at the top of the key. Freshman forward Breona Hurd is also slowly stepping up to help Lattimore at the bottom half of the offensive setup as well, averaging five rebounds per game to aid in second-chance shots.
While players such as these have shown slight improvement in making sure there are more than just two star players on the court, there is still a lot of room for developing this further to give Virginia a better chance when playing offense.
Lauren Halak, Staff Writer: The Cavaliers repeatedly failed to maintain leads they built this season, constantly hitting a wall in the third and fourth quarters. This too often led them to heartbreak — nine of their 15 total losses came in games where Virginia led at halftime.
However, Virginia’s offensive personnel did not change drastically from last season, where they did not experience nearly as many troubles. With minimal change in the makeup of who stepped onto the court for the Cavaliers, their struggles might just be the result of unsound coaching.
It is fundamentally a coach’s job to restructure and readjust their offense when something is not working. Virginia was largely unable to adjust midgame throughout the majority of the season as a unit on both sides of the ball. Ultimately, the Cavaliers’ inability to readjust cost them a strong season. Lattimore and Johnson’s prowess was not enough for Virginia to outlast its opponents in many cases, and its coaching staff will need to figure out how to rework its second-half offense in particular before entering next season.
So, what now?
VB: Look at how the Cavaliers finished the season and consider that a beacon of hope. However, the Cavaliers will need to acknowledge a hole that will be left behind by Lattimore in the off-season — losing a key player like that will require Virginia to either find a single replacement or adjust its entire defense.
Hurd is a likely option, already averaging close to 10 points per game she has played in multiple games, scoring more than 15 points in a few showings. While she does not have as high of a rebounding average as Lattimore, Hurd’s many years of eligibility ahead of her give her time to develop and grow as a player.
While a sophomore leap could certainly occur, transfer additions are necessary to replenish the roster. Time will only tell how well the Cavaliers used their off-season to build up the offense and fill in the gaps in the defense.
LH: With five players and counting now in the transfer portal, Virginia needs to turn its focus to recruitment in the off-season. Luckily, the Cavaliers have recently added assistant coach Ronald Hughey to their staff, as announced by Coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton Friday, who was highlighted as a strong recruiter. Hughey, who brings nearly 20 years of Division I coaching experience to Virginia, helped bring in a 2013 signing class to Florida State that was ranked as the No. 7 by All-Star Girls Report and No. 11 by ESPN HoopGurlz.
Agugua-Hamilton has also made herself known as a strong recruiter for the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers recently landed four-star recruit Gabby White. White is the fourth top-100 recruit Agugua-Hamilton has brought to Virginia — in comparison, Agugua-Hamilton’s predecessor, Tina Thompson, only signed one top-100 recruit in her four years with the Cavaliers. That recruit transferred to Southern California one season later.
It seems very likely Johnson will remain with Virginia to pilot its offense. Despite the Cavaliers’ overall struggle, it is hopeful that she still has two years of eligibility left. With the addition of White on the court, Hughey’s coaching experience, and the prospect of more strong transfers arriving in Charlottesville, development in the off-season can certainly set Virginia up well for a better 2025-26 season. Agugua-Hamilton often preaches the mantra “grind now, shine later” — Cavalier fans can only hope that Virginia finds a way to shine next winter.
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