As Aaron Roussell addressed an audience as the University of Virginia women’s basketball coach for the first time, it coincidentally fell on Founder’s Day, celebrated on Thomas Jefferson’s April 13 birthday. The date served as perfect timing when Roussell shared part of his coaching philosophy that is certainly Jeffersonian in nature.
“You’re supposed to be a lifelong learner in every business, that’s in college basketball to a T,” Roussell said.
At UVA, of course, students take on academic work as first years, second years, and so forth instead of the traditional freshman and sophomore titles. That’s a nod to Jefferson’s belief in lifelong learning where being a senior may imply a person has reached a final phase of learning. Jefferson is even credited with saying a day is lost if something useful is not learned.
While such a notion may seem old-fashioned in the modern era of college athletics where the transfer portal and player movement is common, Roussell began his head coaching journey at the University of Chicago in NCAA Division III. That level does not feature athletic scholarships and the balance between student and athlete remains a key focus.
That appealed to Roussell, who once considered career paths of journalism or law school, and his career path reflects that. After moving up to Division I, Roussell’s coaching stops have moved from Bucknell to Richmond and now Virginia. All have strong academic reputations. John Hardt, the Athletics Director at Bucknell and then Richmond who hired Roussell twice, assured the coach that you could still achieve that athletics and academics mission. Virginia Director of Athletics Carla Williams said that remains a priority at UVA as well.
“What athletics is supposed to be, really, was housed at Division III, right? It’s about the student-athlete,” Roussell said. “... I thought I was going to law school. I thought I was going to be a journalist. That was my path. Coaching was a hobby. Never thought I could make this a career. And so, I thought Division III aligned with me. I remember I talked to my boss, my future boss, and I thought I sold my soul coming to Division I. I thought that was where the nastiness happened. And he assured me, and I bought in, that we’re going to do things the right way. It’s going to be similar to that. Obviously following him to Richmond, the message was the same. Talking to Carla during this process, the message was the same. This is a special place to be a student-athlete. We’re going to win some games but we’re going to do this the right way as well.”
But back to the coaching philosophy part. Roussell’s reference to lifelong learning focused on the need to be adaptable as the head coach of a program. He said specifics on style and strategy may morph over time. He relies on his staff and coaching colleagues as resources.
That approach comes in part due to his own curiosity. Roussell likes to study and dissect X’s and O’s, something he had the good fortune of doing with NBA head coach Rick Carlisle just days into his tenure here at Virginia. Carlisle, a former Cavalier player, came to John Paul Jones Arena to visit with the men’s coaching staff and Roussell got looped into the meeting. The approach also is rooted in necessity - Roussell referenced recent rules emphasis as an example.
“22 years into this, and there’s nothing I’m married to,” Roussell said. “There’s no order a business of how I do this. You’re supposed to be a lifelong learner in every business, that’s in college basketball to a T. You know, things are changing. What worked in college basketball 22 years ago, it’s a different game right now, and I think I’ve been taking a lot of pride in making sure to try to get ahead of the curve when things are changing. We did this a few years ago because freedom of movement was a big thing.”
Sitting in with Carlisle and Virginia men’s basketball coach Ryan Odom understandably piqued Roussell’s natural curiosity. There’s a common thread of basketball philosophy running there as all three have some similarities in approach. Indiana ranked No. 14 in the NBA last season in 3-point rate (the percentage of total shots from 3-point range) at 42.2%. The UVA men landed 36th nationally in that category at 46.7% last season in Odom’s first year at the helm.
Roussell led teams at Richmond in recent years that featured motion concepts, some Princeton roots, and spacing. That could include ‘5 out’ looks where all players begin possessions on the perimeter. The Spiders took a lot of 3-pointers too. They ranked No. 8 in the country, in fact, by attempting 28.4 3-pointers per game.
Richmond has been successful with that approach. Under Roussell, the program posted a 148-72 overall record with three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2024-2026 and he finished his tenure with four straight 20-win seasons. The Spiders claimed back-to-back outright Atlantic-10 Regular Season Championships in 2024 and 2025 and won the 2024 A-10 Tournament. Overall, he owns a 460-194 career record.
In other words, Roussell is unlikely to completely scrap any spacing and motion concepts. It’s more likely that he will tinker and adapt as needed for the Hoos and the the ACC. That may take time to fully evolve, particularly right now in the early days on the job. The first order of business has to be building a roster before the staff can decided how to use it.
Still, the roots of what Roussell wants seem clear. Movement, spacing, and teamwork.
“I think in coaching circles, we’ve gotten some of those compliments as well,” Roussell said. “I think it’s a very fluid style. I think it’s easy on the eyes in the sense of the ball’s moving, players are moving. It’s not a lot of ISO ISO ISO. It’s just synergy of players playing together. It takes a while. When you first start this thing, it doesn’t always look awesome right away. It takes some time. This style of play, you play the best at the end of the season. And so I think it’s fun to watch the movement. ... We’re going to have to adjust things as well, right? If we went back to Richmond this year, we were going to have to change based on our personnel. We’re going to have to do that after we construct a roster. But I think just that fluid and fun motion style, you’ll see the framework here.”
Regardless of where Roussell lands on the specific schemes and strategies, there’s another area where he places a sharp focus. It too fits the ongoing learning mindset. Player development.
Maggie Doogan, who just wrapped up a career spent with Roussell and the Spiders, is the headliner example. She came to Richmond as a McDonald’s All-American nominee so she already had displayed her ability, but she blossomed into a player that was named Atlantic-10 Player of the Year in 2025 and an honorable mention All-American in 2026. Doogan closed her career with 2,138 points, 871 rebounds, 391 assists, and 140 blocked shots.
If Roussell can bring in similarly talented players and help them reach those types of heights, that will be good news for the Hoos.
“I think we talked first and foremost about player development,” Roussell said. “That’s part of why I hired the staff that I did, was about player development. When we first started at Richmond, it was about different things of what we were recruiting. At the end of Richmond, it was, we want to recruit, and develop pros. ... I wanted that to translate. I wanted what we were doing, what we’re teaching, to translate to the next level. That’s a big part of it. You know, I think it’s a fun style to play, you know, I think that’s something that we teach. It’s a fun style, It’s reading. You know, it’s not a lot of memorization. ... So I think it’s fun for them. It’s fun to teach. That’s also part of what we teach too. Sometimes, as a teacher, you just got to learn new things, so you’re not getting stale and stagnant.”
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!