Sights are elevated

Throughout his five seasons at Richmond, Aaron Roussell’s teams have been comparatively young. That happens when a new coach comes in to lead a fresh start. Expectations are accordingly tempered as it takes a few recruitment and development cycles for a coach to fully get a new vision for a program in place.

Progress is visible. The team ended last season with the program’s first postseason win since 2015, in the WNIT tournament. This season, the players from Roussell’s first recruiting class are seniors. When Roussell looks at his roster, he sees a confident and hungry team ready to take a big step forward.

The WNIT experience “was a huge notch in our belt and confidence booster, both as a reward for last year but also springboarding into this coming season,” he said. “I think this has the potential to be a special year.”

The 2023–24 roster has strengths from post to perimeter. Returning players like forward Addie Budnik (“the best player in the league for a couple of seasons”) and guard Grace Townsend (“embodies the build of this program”) will add veteran leadership buttressed by graduate transfers. Forward Maggie Doogan returns after earning a spot on the A-10’s All-Rookie Team last season.

“I’m proud of where the program is right now,” Roussell said. “I want this program every year from here on out to talk about winning a championship and playing in the postseason. Last season proved that this group can do that.”