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Virginia fires women’s hoops coach Thompson after 4 seasons

NCAA Basketball: Final Four-Hall of Fame Press Conference

Mar 31, 2018; San Antonio, TX, USA; Former basketball player Tina Thompson speaks during the NBA Hall of Fame press conference at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

Virginia dismissed women’s basketball coach Tina Thompson after four seasons on Thursday,

Athletic director Carla Williams made the announcement. It came one day after the 14th-seeded Cavaliers were eliminated 61-53 by Wake Forest in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. Thompson has one year remaining on her contract.

The Cavaliers were 5-22 this season and 30-63 in four years under Thompson, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and four-time WNBA champion. They were 15-38 against conference competition.

“Unfortunately, we have not experienced the kind of success this program has come to expect and deserve,” Williams said in a statement released by the school. “I am thankful for Coach Thompson’s efforts and I wish her the very best.”

Thompson’s tenure included an 0-5 mark last season, before the Cavaliers opted out of the season, and a a 2-16 conference ledger during the regular season this year that includes a pair of forfeits.

Virginia took a loss without taking the court after a game scheduled Feb. 10 at No. 4 Louisville was canceled following an announcement by the ACC that the Cavaliers’ plane had mechanical and staffing issues so the team couldn’t get out of Charlottesville in time.

The most recent forfeit became official last week when a rescheduled home game against No. 14 Notre Dame was not played. The game was initially scheduled for Jan. 25, but was canceled, Thompson said, to allow the Fighting Irish to play another opponent. However, Notre Dame ultimately played no one on Jan. 25.

Thompson said Virginia decided not to play the game after it was rescheduled for Feb. 22 because of the academic stress she believed it would have put on her players.