In Debbie Ryan’s 32nd season as head coach, UVA women’s basketball team (5-2) is once again showing signs of greatness—albeit inconsistently. After the Cavaliers knocked off women’s basketball powerhouse Tennessee in Knoxville on November 17, they fell to Old Dominion in their next game.
“I don’t think we got over [the Tennessee win] fast enough,” says Ryan, whose teams made the Final Four three consecutive years in the early 1990s. “We let the Tennessee win beat us. The veteran players understood, but I don’t think the younger players did. You have to get it over with and move on.”
Coming into the season, veteran leadership was a concern after the team lost ACC career assist leader Sharnee Zoll to the WNBA, but junior forward Monica Wright has taken charge (and is averaging 21 points per game to boot).
“It didn’t take long for Monica Wright to step up,” says Ryan. “Every player on this team loves the way that she leads them. Our first years follow her like ducklings.”
In her years as UVA’s head coach, Ryan says that the most important thing about coaching she’s learned is a chemistry lesson.
“The small part of coaching is the part that you do on the court,” says Ryan. “The big part, at this level, is spending time off the court. I love the player that’s transitioning from her childhood into full-blown womanhood. They’re like open books. It’s very fun to hear their perspective.”
It looks like Ryan won’t be done with coaching, or winning, anytime soon. She’s got a top-five recruiting class heading to Charlottesville next season.
