Kymora Johnson was dreading the phone call she knew she had to make.
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 meeting with Roussell, Johnson’s phone rang.
It was Staley.
“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.”
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 told USA TODAY Sports. “Because 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. I was in shock, because it was hard.”
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 make 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 made 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, later reaching a settlement with Virginia. USA TODAY Sports reported Agugua-Hamilton had been the subject of an internal investigation involving allegations of staff mistreatment within the program, according to four people 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 made up for in her ability as a playmaker. Johnson is a guard with a quick handle, sharp shot and knack for creating highlights.
Across 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 started to change. Virginia announced 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 fired without cause.
Johnson said she found out that “Coach Mox” had been dismissed at a team meeting. Struggling to find the words to describe the atmosphere in the room, she said some of her teammates were shocked and others understood.
“There were a lot of emotions, as you can imagine. One minute we were on a high, one minute we were on a low. I think the whole basketball world was surprised because the Sweet 16 to that is a big jump,” Johnson said. “We just had to let the pieces fall into place.”
On that Monday, the day the transfer portal opened, Johnson entered it. As soon as her name popped up, coaches around the country took notice.
“For me, going into the portal was mainly just because 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 said. “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.
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 told 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 about $5.3 million. His total compensation for the upcoming season is $825,000 and he has an annual 3% increase, 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 said. “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 about.”
Making the pitch
After officially getting the job, Roussell did two things: He called Kymora Johnson and then reached out to as many 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 also 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 made the trip.
So Roussell ended 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 bought 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 showed me his vision and didn’t put too much on my shoulders. I really respected and appreciated that,” Johnson said. “He showed 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.”
Said Roussell: "I just tried to get 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 make 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 also 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 expected to contend for the national title again this upcoming season.
“It was everything you would expect of a high-caliber program,” Johnson said. “I had a great time down there and it was really hard to come back and make that decision, but I knew I had to. I wanted to come back home and really take my time to think about 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 about staying at home or leaving it behind.
“I have mixed feelings about the portal, because I know some people just get in for the money. I heard from everyone,” Johnson said. “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 in 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 many players visit South Carolina and decide not to go. Even less enter the transfer portal and wind up returning to the same program.
The pull of home was a big 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 about basketball influenced her, too.
“The biggest thing that stuck out to me when I spoke to him was the player development. He literally breaks everything down to the fine details,” Johnson said. “Like, I’m working on post-up moves — I’m probably not going to be in the post often, but why not work on it? Just things like that to make us better players and strengthen our basketball IQ. I think he just wants me to be free, have fun, and I think he's really excited to see me play in space.”
Legacy at Virginia
While Roussell was elated to have Johnson return, folks around the ACC were quietly celebrating. Jackie Carson, the senior vice president of women’s basketball for the ACC, smiled when she heard the news.
“Oh, we cheered for that,” Carson told USA TODAY Sports. “Those are the things that hurt me, when we lose great talent to other conferences. Being able to retain a player like Kymora not only speaks for what ACC women's basketball looks like, it also speaks volumes to Aaron and his staff. I think he's going to do a tremendous job.”
Other coaches in the league were happy to see Johnson stay at Virginia too, even if gameplanning to stop the talented guard is going to be a headache this season.
“I can't imagine her leaving there. I think she had every choice in the country, but that’s where your home is, where your legacy is,” North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart told USA TODAY Sports. “Not only did she make the right decision for the league, but she made the right decision for her, because all this stuff is short-sighted. Her legacy at the University of Virginia will be something that's very unique and she's earned it.”
In addition to Johnson, Roussell also retained Olivia McGhee, Tabitha Amanze, Adeang Ring and Breona Hurd. He hired former Florida head coach Kelly Rae Finley to his staff and reinforced the roster with Rutgers transfer Janae Walker, Alabama transfer Eris Lester, Lithuanian guard Sintija Aukštikalnytė, Czech Republic guard Emilie Brzonova, Italian forward Caterina Piatti and 6-foot-3 freshman Lyla Coogen.
This new era for the Cavaliers begins when Virginia opens it season at home on Nov. 2. Johnson could not be more sure about the decision she made to stay.
“I can't even truly put it into words. It’s actually home,” Johnson said. “I can literally walk to the house that I grew up in from the grounds. It’s different. It means so much, having my family in the stands and the community behind me that watched me grow up. I’ll go to the grocery store and see people that watched me play when I was 5-years-old.”
Added Roussell: "Kymora could run for mayor of Charlottesville."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Kymora Johnson turned down Dawn Staley to stay home at Virginia
