Former Bucknell University head women’s basketball coach Aaron Roussell has been hired as the new University of Richmond head women’s basketball coach after the team parted ways with Michael Shafer last month.
Roussell also served as the head coach of the University of Chicago women's basketball team for eight seasons before coaching Bucknell for the past seven seasons. His career coaching record is 312-122.
"We are excited to welcome Aaron Roussell and his family to the University of Richmond and Spider athletics," athletic director John Hardt said in a statement. "While this was an extremely talented and deep candidate pool, in the final analysis, Aaron Roussell distinguished himself as the clear choice to lead the Spider women's basketball program back to prominence. Aaron's remarkable success at both Bucknell and the University of Chicago as a head coach leading teams to the NCAA Tournament at highly regarded academic institutions, has prepared him well to lead our program. We are looking forward to Coach Roussell's leadership and the future success for our Spider women's basketball program."
According to a press release from Bucknell University, the team had finished 5-25 in the season before Roussell became head coach. Roussell finishes with a record of 151-72 with the Bisons, which is the best winning percentage in the program’s 46-year history. He also won Patriot League Coach of the Year twice in his seven seasons at Bucknell.
The Spiders finished 9-21 in the 2018-19 season, and have not had a winning record since the 2014-15 season. The team lost to sixth-ranked St. Louis University in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament on March 5.
"I am beyond thrilled to be the next women's basketball coach at Richmond," Roussell said in a statement. "I would like to thank John Hardt and LaRee Sugg for this opportunity; with each conversation, they continued to show the tremendous potential of the program and I look forward to building it with them. University of Richmond lived up to its amazing reputation throughout this process, and my family and I cannot wait to start this new journey in our new community."
Contact sports editor C.J. Slavin at cj.slavin@richmond.edu.
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