Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock announced on Wednesday the hire of Marquette coach Megan Duffy, who will head up the women’s hoops program after the departure of Kenny Brooks to Kentucky.
Duffy, a Notre Dame alum, was 110-46 in five seasons at Marquette, and led the program there to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024.
Brooks, who was 180-82 in eight seasons in Blacksburg, famously leading the Hokies to the 2023 Final Four, left Tech, where he had been working under a deal paying him just over $1 million a year, for a five-year deal at Kentucky that will pay him $7.7 million over the next five years.
That’s not a lot more money to make that move, to be honest.
Duffy’s deal was announced at six years, with the money not made public in the press release issued on Wednesday morning announcing the hire.
Per a USA Today database, she was making $524,123 a year at Marquette.
“I am thrilled to welcome Coach Duffy and her husband Kevin to Virginia Tech,” Babcock said in a statement in the school’s news 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 doesn’t inherit much from the Brooks buildup of Tech women’s basketball. Three-time ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley (22.8 ppg, 11.4 rebounds/g) just finished her COVID redshirt senior season, as did guards Cayla King (7.1 ppg, 30.1 minutes/g) and Olivia Summiel (3.7 ppg, 21.8 minutes/g), and third-team All-American Georgia Amoore (18.8 ppg, 6.8 assists/g) and rising sophomore Clara Strack (4.5 ppg, 4.1 rebounds/g) have both entered the transfer portal, and seem to be headed to Kentucky with Brooks.
That’s five players from the eight-player rotation that Brooks used this past season. The only returning starter left, at this point – important caveat there – is rising senior Matilda Ekh (10.4 ppg, 3.6 rebounds/g, 43.9% FG, 40.4% 3FG).
It’s odd to call the Virginia Tech job a “rebuilding job,” given that the program is the defending ACC regular-season champ, and was in the Final Four just a year ago, but that’s what it is.
“I am ecstatic to join Virginia Tech Athletics as the leader of the women’s program,” Duffy said in a statement in the news release from Virginia Tech Athletics. “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,” Duffy said. “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.”
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Chris Graham
