Carla Williams’ first coaching hire as Virginia’s athletic director came with a splash Monday.
After a four-week search, UVa announced that retired WNBA star Tina Thompson is the choice to succeed Joanne Boyle.
Boyle had retired March 20 after seven years as the Cavaliers’ head coach, citing family reasons.
It will be the first head-coaching job for Thompson, 43. She has been an assistant for the past three years at Texas, most recently in the role as associate head coach.
Thompson, who was born in Los Angeles, played at Southern Cal on teams that included fellow hall-of-famer Lisa Leslie.
Thompson was the first player selected in the first WNBA Draft in 1997.
“I am thrilled to have Tina Thompson as our new women’s basketball coach,” Williams said in a news release distributed by the school. “She is one of the best to ever play the game and she has experienced tremendous success at all levels of the game.
“I am looking forward to working with her and supporting her vision for Virginia basketball. She has a strong commitment to and passion for developing confident, successful women. As a coach, she has proven to be a tremendous teacher and recruiter.
“I’m excited for the future of our program.”
Thompson will take over a team that made the NCAA Tournament this year for the first time since 2009 and finished 19-14, including a first-round NCAA win over California. South Carolina ended the Cavaliers’ season in the second round.
“My sentiments mirror that of my 12-year-old son Dyllan,” Williams said. “When I told him the great news he said, ‘Wait! Mom are you kidding? I mean wow. Isn’t that a good program? Correction. Great program! I am so happy for you. We will do great things here!’
“My response to him was that I could not agree more! I am excited about meeting my team, getting to know them and pouring into them. I want to thank Carla Williams for this coveted opportunity.
“I appreciate her courage and her outside-of-the-box thought process. Wahoowa!”
Thompson joined the Longhorns as an assistant under head coach Karen Alston prior to the 2015-16. Texas went 28-7 this past season and reached the final 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row, including a regional final in 2015-16.
Thompson is the fifth head coach in UVa’s 44-year history, including hall-of-famer Debbie Ryan, whose 34-year run included 20 straight NCAA appearances from 1983-2003.
Thompson played professionally for 17 years and retired as the all-time WNBA leading scorer with 7,488 points in 496 games.
She played on four WNBA championship teams with Houston, her home for 12 seasons before she joined the Los Angeles Sparks, where she broke the career scoring record held by her one-time teammate, Leslie.
Diana Taurasi has since bumped Thompson down to the No. 2 spot.
Thompson was a member of gold-medal United States Olympic teams in 2004 and 2008 and also played for professional teams in Italy, Korea, Russia and Romania.
In September, Thompson is scheduled to be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.