Virginia Tech Hires Megan Duffy As Next Women’s Basketball Coach

By: David Cunningham | Managing Editor
Megan Duffy is the new Virginia Tech women’s basketball coach. (Marquette athletics)

On Wednesday, Virginia Tech director of athletics Whit Babcock announced the hiring of Megan Duffy as the school’s new women’s basketball coach.

“I am thrilled to welcome Coach Duffy and her husband Kevin to Virginia Tech,” Babcock said in a release. “An accomplished player and coach, Megan has a relentless work ethic and a demonstrated ability to develop talent and build successful programs. 
 
“She is a proven winner and committed to continuing our women’s basketball program’s momentum. I am confident Hokie Nation will embrace and support Megan as we enter the next chapter of Virginia Tech women’s basketball.”

Duffy ventures to Blacksburg from Marquette, where she spent five seasons and compiled a 110-46 record — the best winning percentage (.705) in school history — and took the Golden Eagles to three NCAA Tournaments. She won 20-plus games in four of the five years with the outlier being the shortened COVID season in 2020-21 when she recorded 19 wins.

Marquette placed in the top five of the Big East Conference each season, including back-to-back runner-up regular-season finishes in 2020 and ’21. The Golden Eagles were also the Big East Tournament runner-ups those two years.

“I am ecstatic to join Virginia Tech Athletics as the leader of the women’s program,” Duffy said. “The opportunity to continue the winning tradition with Hokie Nation and to be a part of the passionate, savvy Blacksburg community makes this a dream job for me.

“The ACC is the best conference in the country with deep talent and outstanding leaders. The work with the team begins today as we look toward building the next great Hokie team. I want to thank President Sands, Whit Babcock and the entire athletics administration for welcoming Kevin and I to the university, sharing their vision for the program, and for their long-term support of women’s sports.”

Duffy made $524,123 in salary in 2023-24 at Marquette, according to USA Today. For comparison, former head coach Kenny Brooks, who left Virginia Tech for Kentucky on March 26 after eight seasons, was set to make $975,000 in 2024-25. Her deal at Tech is for six years, per the school’s release.

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A native of Kettering, Ohio, Duffy coached five First Team All-Big East selections: Liza Karlen (2024), Jordan King (2023), Chloe Marotta (2023), Lauren Van Kleunen (2022) and Selena Lott (2021). The 6-foot-2 Karlen was a senior in 2023-24 and averaged 17.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. She has a COVID year of eligibility remaining. Lott was also the Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.

“In her five years with us, Megan and her staff have had tremendous success leading us to four postseason appearances,” Marquette University Vice President and Director of Athletics Bill Scholl said in a release. “She has been an incredible leader for our program and department and a great mentor to our student-athletes. We wish her and her husband, Kevin, nothing but great success in this next chapter of her career.”

Duffy spent two seasons at Miami of Ohio, where she posted a 44-20 (.688) record and led the RedHawks to two WNIT berths. In her seven seasons as a head coach, she is 154-66 (.700).

As an assistant, she worked at Michigan (2014-17), George Washington (2012-14) and St. John’s (2009-12). Two of those stints came under Kim Barnes Arico, the current head coach of the Wolverines who has won 531 games and made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances. At those stops, she made the NCAA Tournament on three occasions and the WNIT four times, highlighted by a trip to the Sweet Sixteen with the Red Storm in 2012.

Duffy played at Notre Dame under Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw from 2002-06. She helped the Fighting Irish to four trips to the Big Dance, including two Sweet Sixteen appearances, and was one of four players in school history to total at least 1,000 points, 500 assists and 200 steals in a career. She was an All-American honorable mention in 2005 and ’06 and was a finalist for the John Wooden Award and Nancy Lieberman Award as a senior.

Duffy was also a two-time All-Big East first team pick and was the 2006 Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She also received the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award for the best senior player under 5-foot-8.

After her career at Notre Dame, she was the 31st pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx. She played three seasons professionally.

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  1. One small piece of advice for Coach Duffy: make sure you say goodbye and thank you to your Marquette fans.

  2. As an MU undergrad alum and Hokie grad alum, I follow both programs closely. Coach Duffy has been as successful despite the fact that the Big East does not support and promote women’s sports as well as the ACC. That makes recruiting tough. Add the support of the Hokies Nation and her move makes sense. I’m bummed for the MU program, but I get it.

    Coach Duffy’s teams played an up tempo pace and have relied on transition threes. Unfortunately, the last couple of years they have turned overed the ball at a high rate against high level defenses. Also, the MU defense has been average, especially on the perimeter. She will need to do better in those areas to have success in the ACC.

  3. Downside is that if she’s successful in Blacksburg and the ND job opens up, we can be sure what her next stop will be. As Bear Bryant put is when he was at aTm and the Alabama job opened up, “Mama called.”

    2. Agree with those who posted ahead of me. What you say is true, but don’t see the opening up happening as it flies right now. ND is going to be a power house for a while.

  4. Great article David!! Fantastic hire Whit!! Now let’s keep our remaining players and also our current recruits!! Hoping she will bring a few of her players with her and also some other great portal players!! Welcome to the greatest fan base for college basketball!! Welcome Megan and Kevin!! Looking forward to meeting you and Kevin!! Go Hokies!!🏀🏀

    1. Great hire by our AD! Impressive as a player and a young star in the coaching profession!

    2. I don’t believe there are many College coaches who have won conference championships to be in the Coaches Portal this year. If true, then what?

    3. Can’t be too concerned considering UConn has won it the past four years… that’s like saying you’re concerned your new football coach from the SEC never won a conference title, neglecting the fact that you’d have to run through Saban and Bama every year.

  7. Marquette probably feels like we do about Kentucky. That’s the second basketball coach we have taken from them. Excited about his hire.

        1. Sadly, players are too. Hope we can poach some talent from upper peninsula Michigan.

  8. We will get a really good idea of what we got with her in the next couple weeks.

    I’m sure she is a good coach, but so much more to it nowadays.

    Recruiting, retaining, bringing in her players, getting NIL squared away, etc.

  9. She’s walking into a situation much like Pry did. The cupboard is bare and it’ll be a major rebuild. The only difference is the culture and fan base are strong, as opposed to Pry who took over at the bottom.

    1. Not that bare. Clara Strack is a huge loss especially if we do not get Clara Silva and have no big, but if the others all remain, we are a good team. We saw some of the possibilities at the Marshall game. None of the old guard (Liz, Georgia and Cayla) got to play a lot of minutes due to foul trouble, and the “next year’s team” did pretty well in a 5 1/2 point spread to win by 43. Plus, Carleigh will be a good+ point and is still high on us so she can spread that to the freshmen to keep all of them here (I hear rumbles that Samaya Suffren may drop out of her portal entry as well – she is very athletic and quick). It is also noteworthy that coach MD plays a similar offensive style to coach KB, so the team will be part way there.

      Yes, the fan base is going to help a lot next year. Cassell can still be a major home court!!

      Don;t expect miracles in 2024-25, but no bottom of the barrel either. We are in a tough league.

  10. I hope the WB haters will tamp it down for a while and understand that he is one of the best for getting the most out of what he has to work with.

  12. As much as it hurts to lose Kenny Brooks, it appears that the Virginia Tech women’s basketball program is now at the level where this is an attractive job. I don’t know anything more than Duffy than what is here in the story, but she has a great resume and she wouldn’t be coming here if the foundation was shaky. Looks like a great hire to me.

    3. Today’s Roanoke Times has a good bit on this hire from Muffet McGraw’s and Debbie Antonelli’s perspectives. Also notes that coach MD has had offers and calls every year, but this one really appealed to her. At least for now she wants to be in Blacksburg.

      Of course, we all need to keep the reality with which the new mess of college sports confronts us.

  13. Looks like a pretty good hire. Welcome Coach Duffy to the great fans (if not a little jaded) in college sports.

        1. When you play against the Connecticut girls every year, it gets tough. And exactly how many conference winning coaches are in the portal this year?

        3. Brooks hadn’t until last year. Didn’t win the regular season championship until this year.

  15. This is an awesome hire! I saw several games on the road in person and hope she can retain the momentum in Blacksburg around women’s basketball.

    Nice job Whit!

  16. So what I’m hearing is we need to root for Niele Ivey to do pretty good, but not super awesome

  17. Nice hire. Hopefully we can keep the momentum up. A trip to Portugal may be in order

  18. Well, it sure seems Whit pulled a good one out of the hat. I hope Notre Dame keeps their WBB coach for a long while. 🙂

  19. ‘Whit failed and got schooled by Brooks’
    ‘I’m giving up my season tix to women’s bball’.
    ‘Does Whit have a clue who to hire next and it BETTER be fast.’

    You guys just *keep* displaying your 3rd grade knowledge of major college athletics and Whit just keeps padding his resume as one of the best AD’s in the country.

    GREAT HIRE!!!! Well done *everyone* in the athletic department!

    4. I’m with you Phoenix. The people who posted negative rants about Whit should issue apologies.

    1. Yes. Try to keep Strack and the incoming recruiting class. Seems like a pretty big time hire similar to bringing Buzz to Tech. Go Hokies.

      1. I know its a slim chance but if she can keep Lindsey Hicks we may be able to keep Strack and Silva. From what I’ve read she is responsible for the one-on-one work that made Kitley so good.

    2. That ship has sailed – Strack has told coaches not to contact her, so that’s not gonna happen. Hopefully she can retain the remaining women and build from there.

      1. I really do not get the move. She will be a star in Blacksburg. Maybe she really loved playing with Georgia. If both end up in KY-makes sense.

      2. If true, Strack has a bit of an attitude and immaturity for a one year player who had success in post season play surrounded by strong teammates and a mentor in Liz Kitley. We’ll see how successful she is moving on, especially with fan support like she received from the Castleguard and Hokie Nation.

      3. Strack still attends VT. She hasn’t told this coach not to contact her.

  21. Great news for women’s bb. Looking forward to watching next year’s games. Great hire, Whit!

  22. Sounds like a great get! A little surprising, in that she has no connection to the region, aside from an assistant job at GW.

    1. I’m not sure if wbb recruiting is limited to the region. Seems like Midwestern connections would be more helpful

  26. Great hire by WB. I had her on my short list, and I think she is just the winner, in a great conference, at a good school that we needed. I love this choice..welcome aboard Coach Duffy

  27. Solid resume and perfect timing. Congrats Whit. Congrats also to Coach Duffy and her husband Kevin. Keep the momentum going! Kenny who?

    2. Hasn’t she stated med school is her future, after playing days? I agree she would make an excellent assistant tho.

  30. Looks like a solid hire. I assume Brooks is taking Amoore and Strack to KY with him and I hope Duffy can bring some of her players along with her.

    2. Good chance Liza Karlen comes with her for the “Covid” year. All conference player.

    3. She’ll have to hit the portal for some bigs…nobody at Marquette over 6’2″.

  31. Sounds like a good hire. Good job, Mr. Babcock! Let’s hope that the current players will at least meet with her and discuss their future before making a decision on portaling out.

  32. She’s smart – and will recruit smart players. Maybe the perfect hire. Might forget What’s His Name. My friend, who is in the top 1% of contributors to ND in sports & academics – thought she was gonna be Muffet’s replacement.

    Virginia Tech – as a place of education – is very high on young H S women’s (including athletes) list of places to go.

    Keep your season tix. It might take a couple of years – depending on how many deserters there are

    –

  34. Very solid hire. If she can recruit like she was at Marquette she’s gonna win a lot of games in Blacksburg.

  38. Last time we took a basketball coach from Marquette it worked out pretty well for a few years. Let’s hope its the same this time. Good luck Coach Duffy!

    1. Their fans are going to hate us lol I can hear the collective groan from their campus now!

    2. Little Miss Muffet may have to be a somewhat Hokie fan after ND. I’m sure she’s happy for her former pupil.

  41. I like it… player coach with experience at all levels of the game! Good luck and go Hokies

  42. Finally, some good (even GREAT) basketball news. Welcome to Hokie Nation, Coach Duffy!

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