With just a few days until the start of the UVA women’s basketball season, let’s predict this year’s Wahoos rotation. With key players like Cam Taylor and Sam Brunelle gone, the newcomers will need to step up if they want to break through and make a run in March.
With 40-minute games and five players, head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton will have to fill 200 minutes per game. Coach Mox is known for his deep rotations, frequently rotating as many as 11 players in ACC games. This season, those minutes will be split between seven newcomers and seven returnees.
Seven players return from last year’s team, led by Kymora Johnson and Paris Clark, who both averaged over 30 minutes over the final five games of the season. Jillian Brown contributed 17 minutes per game last season, but will unfortunately miss the entire year with an ACL injury suffered in May. That leaves Yonta Vaughn and Olivia McGhee as the remaining back contributors. We can expect both to play more consistent roles this season. In the frontcourt, Edessa Noyan is poised for a breakout year and Taylor Lauterbach will also look to step up. Cumulatively, these women account for 112 total rebound minutes.
The Hoos must replace 88 minutes from last season, with 75 minutes previously taken by Cam Taylor, London Clarkson, Sam Brunelle and Alexia Smith. Taylor’s 22 mpg, in particular, will be difficult to top as her late-game foul trouble has often hurt results. Cady Pauley (5 mpg) and Kaydan Lawson (8 mpg) won’t be on the sidelines this year either. Additionally, Mir McLean’s transfer to Maryland leaves the Hoos with a very thin group of returning frontcourters.
To fill those minutes, the coaching staff added four transfers, including three who stand 6’4 or taller. Latasha Lattimore will bring athleticism to the Mox’s offense, while RyLee Grays (6’4) and Hawa Doumbouya (6’7) add much-needed size in the paint; however, coach Mox confirmed that Doumbouya will redshirt this season. Breona Hurd, a highly touted first-year, rounds out the frontcourt. Freshmen Kamryn Kitchen and Payton Dunbar reclassified to the 2024 class, but both appear to be anticipating a redshirt season. Finally, Casey Valenti-Paea, a transfer from Long Beach State, will provide key depth at the guard position.
With three anticipated redshirts (one confirmed) and a season-ending injury, the remaining 10 players on the roster can be expected to feature in some capacity in the Mox’s rotation. Without further ado, let’s predict the starting lineup. I’m going to assume that players like Paris Clark, who were out for the Blue-White Scrimmage, are back to full health for these projections.
Kymora Johnson – 33 MPG
Paris Clark – 31 MPG
Yonta Vaughn – 20 MPG
Edessa Noyan – 23 MPG
Latasha Lattimore – 25 MPG
Mo Johnson’s impressive freshman season deserved more praise; with a year in the system, fans can expect even better numbers this season. Paris Clark got off to a slow start last season but came alive in ACC play, playing up to 37 minutes against Louisville last season. Johnson and Clark joined Coach Mox at ACC Media Day and seem destined to be the team’s leaders. I anticipate the small forward position to rotate throughout the season, but ultimately I expect Yonta Vaughn to fill the starting role. Readers may be surprised not to see Olivia McGhee on this list, but in the final games of the season, Coach Mox leaned on Vaughn’s experience. Additionally, when asked at ACC media day about a dark horse player, Mo Johnson called out Vaughn, saying “I think [she] will really open people’s eyes this year.” That’s enough to get the nod, but expect both to play key roles this season.
The forward and center positions will be critical for this team. By all accounts, Edessa Noyan made a big leap this offseason, highlighted by her 11-point performance in the Blue-White game. We can expect a big step forward for her in a big role. Finally, I predict that Latasha Lattimore will step into the center position. Readers may remember her solid 10-point, nine-rebound performance in JPJ last season as a visitor. Hopefully we’ll see more of those results this season. Depending on the matchups, we might see Mox go with a bigger lineup and bring in Lauterbach, but I expect these to be the most common five.
It’s worth noting that 10 (!) different players started at least one game last season and nine started at least three. We can certainly expect Coach Mox to play these lineups throughout the season, and we may not see a regular starting lineup solidified until February or March. That being said, let’s review some other key contributors.
Olivia McGhee – 20 MPG
Breona Hurd – 15 MPG
Taylor Lauterbach – 13 MPG
RyLee Grays – 10 MPG
Casey Valenti-Paea – 10 MPG
This roster includes a lot of newcomers, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see one or more of them crack the starting lineup at times. Olivia McGhee showed incredible flashes last year, but fell out of the rotation almost entirely by the end of last season. I expect McGhee to live up to her “Mo and O Show” streak and find more consistency in her second season. Paris Clark has mentioned Breona Hurd as her dark horse player this season, so don’t be surprised if she brings a spark to the freshman this year.
Next Monday (November 4th), we’ll see the Hoos in action for the first time against the Americans at 7pm on ACC Network Extra. Will these predictions hold up? Only one way to find out.
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