MSU Lady Bears coach takes job in Virginia

Missouri State University Lady Bears head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton is exiting after three years for a job in Virginia.

The University of Virginia today announced Agugua-Hamilton, aka Coach Mox, would become its women's basketball head coach, according to a news release.

"Coach Mox has far exceeded our expectations as a coach, colleague and mentor to our student-athletes," said Kyle Moats, MSU director of athletics, in the release. "Her record speaks for itself, but the way she has dealt with the many challenges in her path over the past three years has been remarkable."

During her tenure with the Lady Bears, Agugua-Hamilton compiled a 74-15 record. During the 2021-22 season, the Lady Bears posted a 25-8 record and finished in second place in the Missouri Valley Conference. In postseason play, the team lost Saturday to Ohio State University in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

A national search is scheduled to start immediately for Agugua-Hamilton's replacement, according to the release. University administrators are not commenting on the search process until a new coach has been selected.

MSU President Clif Smart said Agugua-Hamilton "has been a tremendous ambassador for the university, for the city of Springfield and certainly for our athletic program during her tenure here."

"Those impressions will be long- standing and have helped maintain our women's basketball team as one of the nation's most successful programs," Smart said in the release.

Agugua-Hamilton, who was hired in 2019 with a $240,000 base salary, was approved for a two-year contract extension last year by the MSU Board of Governors. The board increased her base salary to $300,000 for the first year of the new contract, with incremental increases scheduled for each additional year, according to past reporting.