Built on grit, guided by greats
After a seven-year career playing basketball in the NBA sandwiched around a stint in the military, former Virginia Tech men’s basketball standout John Wetzel ’77 wanted to return to campus, finish his degree, and begin the next chapter in his life.
But Wetzel ran into Bill Matthews.
“He could sweet talk anybody,” Wetzel said of the coach who had recruited him to Blacksburg. “He said, ‘We’re starting a [varsity] women’s team this year, and I want you to coach them.’”
In 1976, Wetzel became the first head coach for Virginia Tech varsity women’s basketball, serving for just one year and eventually embarking on a long career coaching in the NBA.
This year the athletics department celebrated five decades of Virginia Tech women’s hoops with events that honored the players, coaches, and milestones that define the program’s legacy, including more than 800 wins, championships in three conferences, and 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four appearance in 2023.
Carolyn Owen followed Wetzel, and then Carol Alfano led the program for 19 seasons, winning the Metro Conference championship in 1994 and making two NCAA Tournament appearances (1994 and 1995).
As the program matured, its success grew. Tere Williams ’02, Amy Wetzel ’01, and Lisa Witherspoon ’00 formed the heart of a talented, tough team coached by Bonnie Henrickson, earning three NCAA Tournament appearances in four years.
A win over Auburn in the 1999 NCAA Tournament propelled the program into the Sweet 16 for the first time — a win and season that captured the heart of the fan base.
“We were selling out the entire arena,” said Williams, the program’s first WNBA draft pick who now is the CEO of a biotechnology firm in Syracuse, New York.
The program ultimately grew into a national title contender under coach Kenny Brooks. In 2023, a squad led by Elizabeth Kitley ’23, Cayla King ’23, and Georgia Amoore ’24 reached the Final Four.
The next chapter of Virginia Tech women’s basketball will draw inspiration from this legacy of grit and determination.
“Virginia Tech women’s basketball is built on the foundation of those who came before us,” current coach Megan Duffy said. “Fifty seasons is an extraordinary milestone, shaped by the players and teams that have had an incredible impact on the Hokie community.