Virginia Tech Welcomes New Head Coach Megan Duffy
With the departure of head coach Kenny Brooks just ten days ago from the Virginia Tech program, a new era of Hokies women's basketball was ultimately on the horizon. Athletic Director Whit Babcock knew he had to have a home run hire, and that's exactly what he did.
"The new era of Virginia Tech women's basketball starts today," said Babcock.
Enter Megan Duffy, the former head coach at Marquette for five seasons as well as Miami-Ohio for two seasons prior to her stint in Milwaukee. One word to describe the new head honcho in Blacksburg would be "winner."
"I've been a winner, and I don't know anything else," said Duffy. "I never say that we are rebuilding; we are building the next great championship team."
Duffy's seven-year head coaching career features six seasons of 20 or more wins, leading to an impressive career record of 154-66 (.700).
Each year, she has guided her club to at least a winning percentage of.600 in league play, and she has reached the postseason every year except for 2020 (the COVID-19 pandemic).
Now we know she has won in the Big East, but the ACC holds a standard in women's basketball like none other. With eight different teams making the NCAA tournament this past year and the NC State Wolfpack currently in the Final Four, there is no doubt that the ACC is the premier league in the NCAA.
"The ACC is the best conference in the country, with deep talent and outstanding leaders," said Duffy. "The work with the team begins today as we look toward building the next great Hokie team."
Coach Duffy not only mentioned the team and the excitement to compete for championships but also gave a massive shoutout to Hokie Nation for their continued dedication through all the changes in the program.
"The slogan This is Home is already becoming a reality," said Duffy. "You [Hokie Nation] are truly the best fans in the country. Your passion to give us the sixth player out there is incredible."
The fans continue to play a massive role in the success of Tech women's basketball, but ultimately, it comes down to the players and the head coach to make strides to be better.
In only her 48-hour tenure thus far at Virginia Tech, she has experienced some departures from the likes of Georgia Amoore and Clara Strack, as well as a decommitment from Amelia Hassett and most likely from Alexandra Blue and Clara Silva in the near future.
On the bright side, Coach Duffy has confidence that she can maintain most of the core from last year's team.
Carleigh Wenzel has already announced she will be returning for the Hokies, and Matilda Ekh, Rose Micheaux, Mackenzie Nelson, Samyha Suffren, and Carys Baker all seem to be sticking around from the vantage and understanding of Coach Duffy. Myah Hazelton from Kenny Brooks' 2024 recruitment class has also announced she will keep her commitment to Tech.
Coach Duffy did mention that anything can happen and things could still occur because of the potential for players to still jump in the portal, but the confidence she emitted to the media was very uplifting to Hokie fans.
Duffy has more to deal with, though, as although she has the potential to return much of the core from last year's team, additions must still be made to complete this Hokies roster. She voiced her call to those future players earlier today.
"For future players, you are going to have a head coach that gives every amount of energy in order to win championships," said Duffy. "We are going to have a lot of fun and win a lot of games along the way."
Future players could very well include Marquette's top two scorers, Liza Karlen and Mackenzie Hare, who are both currently in the transfer portal and were coached by Duffy last year.
With all of the madness of the offseason finally coming to a standstill, the new regime under Coach Duffy has kicked off in Blackburg with still plenty of work to do as she and her new squad look ahead to brand new challenges and an exciting new season.
