CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Former WNBA champion Tina Thompson has not been able to enjoy that kind of success with the Virginia women’s basketball program.
The Cavaliers have struggled mightily during Thompson’s four-year tenure, leading to questions about her future as they head into the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Wednesday as the 14th seed. She has one year remaining on her contract.
Virginia is 30-62 with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer as its coach, and just 15-37 in ACC play. Her tenure includes an 0-5 mark last season, before the Cavaliers opted out of the season, and a 5-21 mark this year with a 2-16 conference ledger that includes a pair of forfeits.
In their final regular-season game, the Cavaliers lost 68-57 to No. 18 North Carolina in a manner that has not been uncommon this season. After losing the first period 30-11, they outscored the Tar Heels 46-38 the rest of the way.
“When you don’t show up ready to play in this league, it’s tough,” Thompson said after the slow start against the Tar Heels, noting a tendency that has also plagued them at times to begin the second half. “And it’s similar, you know, in the third quarter, coming out at halftime lacking focus is what usually gets us in trouble, and just not being disciplined.”
The school declined to make athletic director Carla Williams available to comment on Thompson’s status, and the coach said they have not had any discussions about her future.
“I mean, it’s not a discussion that I need to initiate,” said Thompson, who has another year on her contract. “It’s not my job. I’ve never led that way. Whatever’s in front of me is what I’m focusing on.”
The two forfeits did not help, though the Cavaliers would have been underdogs in those games.
Virginia took a loss without taking the court after a game scheduled Feb. 10 at No. 4 Louisville was canceled following an announcement by the ACC that the Cavaliers’ plane had mechanical and staffing issues so the team couldn’t get out of Charlottesville in time.
The most recent forfeit became official last week when a rescheduled home game against No. 14 Notre Dame was not played. The game was initially scheduled for Jan. 25, but was canceled, Thompson said, to allow the Fighting Irish to play another opponent. However, Notre Dame ultimately played no one on Jan. 25.
Thompson said Virginia decided not to play the game after it was rescheduled for Feb. 22 because of the academic stress she believed it would have put on her players.
“We were not aware that we would be playing the game at a later date based on what we were told,” Thompson said. “So being at UVA, missing class for our kids is tough just on the Thursday games that we miss. When you add in several Tuesdays and our kids are missing entire classes for weeks at a time, and at this point, it would be about five weeks of missing class, it’s just not a position that we can put our kids in.
“My job as a head coach of this team is not just to, you know, coach their talent, it’s to coach their entire experience here and the academic side of their experience is a huge part of it.”
Thompson’s tenure also has been marked by significant roster challenges, some due to injuries that hindered the Cavaliers rotation. COVID-19 protocols that led Virginia to a 20-day break between games also contributed to a compacted schedule as the ACC rescheduled missed games.
Basketball analyst Debbie Antonelli said the Cavaliers could improve quickly with effective use of the transfer portal, in addition to recruiting. They brought in Mir McLean from Connecticut during this season and the sophomore that had played just eight minutes for the Huskies immediately became one of their best players.
Williams will likely do “a really hard assessment” at season’s end, Antonelli said. She added that patience is not always easy to practice for losing programs, but with the transfer portal, “kids can do basically whatever they want to do,” which could potentially help the Cavaliers quickly turn things around.
Virginia’s two league victories came in their last three regular-season games, suggesting a roster that includes seven transfers is coming together, yielding the improved results Thompson said she expected for this season.
It hasn’t turned out the way she expected.
“I can definitely say it’s not an easy position to be in when you’re rebuilding or renovating a program, when you’re experiencing the things we have, whether it be injuries or COVID,” she said recently. “But you know, we’re working and we’ll continue to do that as long as we have an opportunity to do so.”
Virginia faces 11th-seeded Wake Forest (14-15, 4-14) in the first round of the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it’s unclear after that if Thompson’s next opportunity will be with the Cavaliers.
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