When Virginia unexpectedly fired head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, the program’s biggest star entered the transfer portal.
But after fielding calls from prospective teams and even visiting Dawn Staley’s program at South Carolina, Kymora Johnson decided she’s going to stay at home for her senior season.
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Johnson — a Charlottesville, Virginia native and three-time All-ACC selection — announced Friday morning that she is returning to the Cavaliers and will play for new head coach Aaron Roussell. Johnson revealed she would be returning to Virginia in a social media post that said, “same place, same purpose” accompanied by a bible verse and two photos: a graphic of Johnson in her No. 21 UVA uniform and a photo of her as a child wearing a UVA baseball cap.
The bus driver for Virginia’s historic run to the Sweet 16 this season, Johnson was one of the best players in the portal. She averaged 19.5 points, 5.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game this year, and stood alongside Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles and Liv McGill as the only players to average at least 19 points, five assists and four rebounds per game this season.
Johnson also ranked sixth nationally in 3-pointers made per game this season with 3.1, and seventh in minutes played per-game. Johnson’s points per game average is the best by a Virginia player in a single season since Monica Wright averaged 23.7 in the 2009-10 season.
As a high school prospect, Johnson was a McDonald’s All-American, a five-star recruit and ranked as the 24th best player in her class by ESPN in 2023.
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She visited Staley in Columbia, South Carolina last weekend, but this week met with Roussell, who was hired away from nearby Richmond to lead the Cavaliers’ program. Over the past several years, Roussell built Richmond into a mid-major power. Steered by Maggie Doogan — who recently signed a training camp contract with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury — the Spiders won at least 20 games in each of the past four seasons and have gone to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
Virginia is coming off its best season in a long time. The Cavaliers made the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000 and became the first team since the Women’s NCAA Tournament expanded to 68 teams in 2022 to reach the second weekend of March Madness after playing in the First Four.
But a week after Virginia’s season ended, Agugua-Hamilton was fired. A USA TODAY Sports report revealed the fourth-year head coach was the subject of an internal investigation and there were also allegations of staff mistreatment within the program. She went 70-58 overall, including a 29-42 mark in ACC play.
Staley, who led Virginia to three Final Fours as a stellar player in the early 1990s, was complimentary of Roussell’s hire.
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“His teams play a great brand of basketball,” Staley said in a statement. “They are always competitive, disciplined and a reflection of strong team culture. I wish him all the best knowing the program is in good hands.”
With Johnson back in the fold, Roussell now has a legitimate star he can build the team around. He’ll retain Olivia McGhee too, as the veteran guard also withdrew from the transfer portal.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kymora Johnson returns to Virginia after testing transfer portal
