CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Carla Williams announced Tuesday the hiring of Aaron Roussell as the University of Virginia’s head women’s basketball coach.
Roussell becomes the seventh head coach in program history.
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“We are excited to name Aaron Roussell as our new head women’s basketball coach,” Williams said. “Aaron is a proven winner who embodies the University’s values of integrity, leadership, academic excellence and student-athlete development. We look forward to welcoming Aaron, his wife Molly, and their three children to Grounds for a new era of Virginia women’s basketball.”
Roussell spent the last seven seasons at University of Richmond, compiling a 148-72 record and leading the Spiders to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Richmond won the Atlantic 10 Tournament in 2024 and secured back-to-back outright regular-season conference titles in 2024 and 2025.
“My family and I are beyond excited to lead the UVA women’s basketball program into a bright and prosperous future,” Roussell said. “We are well aware of the rich history and tradition of this program, and we look forward to putting the UVA program into the nation’s elite on a consistent basis.”
Virginia marks Roussell’s fourth stop as a collegiate head coach. Over 22 seasons, he has compiled a 460-194 career record, including previous stints at Bucknell University and University of Chicago.
A two-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, Roussell led Richmond to its first winning season in six years in 2020-21. In 2023-24, he guided the program to its first Atlantic 10 championship and NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005.
During his final four seasons at Richmond, the Spiders posted four consecutive 20-win seasons and reached the NCAA Tournament three straight years, including the program’s first tournament victory in 2025.
At Bucknell, Roussell went 151-72 over seven seasons, winning Patriot League Tournament titles in 2017 and 2019. The Bison also captured regular-season championships in 2016, 2017 and 2019, with Roussell earning Patriot League Coach of the Year honors twice.
He began his head coaching career at Chicago, where he posted a 161-50 record over eight seasons. His teams made four NCAA Division III Tournament appearances, advancing to the third round twice and reaching the national quarterfinals once. He was named University Athletic Association Coach of the Year three times and earned WBCA Regional Coach of the Year honors twice.
Roussell graduated from University of Iowa in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, mass communications and political science. He later earned a master’s degree in sports administration from Minnesota State University in 2004.