Megan Duffy has won everywhere she’s been, from two seasons in the MAC at Miami of Ohio to five at Marquette in the Big East. Announced Wednesday as Virginia Tech’s newest women’s basketball coach, she plans to keep the winning tradition alive in Blacksburg at a program that won two ACC titles and went to the Final Four in the last two years.
“I’ve been a winner, I don’t know anything else,” said Duffy at her introductory press conference on Friday morning in Cassell Coliseum. “… I never say we’re rebuilding; we’re building the next great championship team.”
In four years as a player at Notre Dame under Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw, she scored 1,290 points and helped the Irish to an 87-40 (.685) record and four NCAA Tournament appearances. She’s also a branch of the Kim Barnes Arico coaching tree, a two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year who currently presides over Michigan and has a 531-339 (.610) career record between the Wolverines, St. John’s and other programs.
Those two legends, as well as the slew of coaches she played for in her three years as a professional, helped shape her journey. She’s never had a losing season, hasn’t missed the postseason and has finished at least two games above .500 in conference play in every campaign.
“She’s a proven winner,” Hokies director of athletics Whit Babcock said. “She’s a sitting head coach that has built two programs and is now ready to lead ours.”
She plays an up-tempo style offensively that’s predicated on sharing the basketball and being efficient from all over, though it’s not heavily reliant on the 3-point shot. Marquette ranked in the top 30 in assist-to-turnover ratio the last two years, and her 2023-24 group was 19th in 3-point percentage, 35th in field goal percentage and 43rd in free throw percentage.
Defensively, she demands a lot from her players, including diving on the floor after loose balls. Her 2022-23 squad led the Big East in scoring defense; this year’s team was 50th in scoring margin. They rebound well, too.
“I think I’m always taking different things from different people I’ve worked for, with,” Duffy said. “I had the luxury of playing for a Hall of Fame coach in Muffet McGraw. She’s still somebody that’s so instrumental in my life as I’m in the coaching ranks now. As a professional, in the WNBA [and] when I played overseas, I got to play — kind of strangely — for nine different head coaches, so … I just saw a lot of different styles.
“Every position I’ve had as a head coach, you have to evolve and change to your players, so it’s not a situation that I believe we have to do it this way or this is the only way to win. You have to put those pieces and that connected group together and pick the best offense you can pick, and my teams have always been great on the defensive end, and they’ve been tough on the boards.”
Babcock pointed out her conference ties — while the Irish were in the Big East when she was a player, they’re a current member of the ACC — and her prowess in the greater DMV area, as well as the Midwest. Her name came up early and often in the eight-day search, and the 39-year-old’s ability to relate to the players and be honest and genuine with them.
Duffy admitted it was very difficult to say goodbye to her team at Marquette, a group she said holds a special place in her heart. The Golden Eagles went to the NCAA Tournament three of the last four seasons and finished in the top five of the Big East every year she was there. They beat some good teams, too, highlighted by a February 2023 victory over then-No. 4 UConn.
Yet, she was intrigued by the new challenge in what she deems the best league in the country, and Blacksburg was the right fit. She had opportunities to leave Milwaukee before, but her values aligned with Tech’s. And she wasn’t afraid to use the school’s “This is home” slogan off the bat.
“What’s interesting about Marquette, we played a lot of Power 5 schools in non-conference and were consistently going to the tournament,” Duffy said. “There is just something about maybe taking one notch up, right? The fact that this program had been to a Final Four, had won ACC championships, it’s kind of that next echelon that I was looking forward to. I didn’t know when that was going to happen.
“Obviously, I was very happy with what we were doing at Marquette, but again, sometimes when you align with certain people who are visionary and see this place continuing to be strong on and off the court, it’s hard not to listen.”
The Dayton, Ohio, native arrived in Blacksburg on Thursday morning with her husband, Kevin Hoyng, who was a record-breaking quarterback for the Flyers from 2003-07. She said the greatest moment from the day was meeting her current team, which consists of six players who won the ACC regular-season championship this year.
Carleigh Wenzel — the lone remaining member from Tech’s Final Four squad in 2023 — announced her return Wednesday. She’s expected to be joined by seniors Matilda Ekh —who averaged 10 points per game this season — and Rose Micheaux, along with sophomores Carys Baker and Samyha Suffren and redshirt freshman Mackenzie Nelson.
Duffy said it’s a fluid situation, one that could change by the hour, but she “feels confident” about all six returning, including Suffren, who entered the transfer portal on Tuesday, March 26. All were in attendance for Wednesday’s ceremony with the exception of Baker, who had class. Elizabeth Kitley and Cayla King were in attendance, too.
“There’s just something when — and I felt it at Marquette and many places — you have that special group of people,” Duffy said. “Ladies, I know this has been challenging and emotional and a lot of feelings that I’m not sure we all even knew what they were, but yesterday was pretty powerful for me, to have a chance to introduce myself, hopefully bring some stability for the future. But just to get to know you guys a little bit.
“You are the ones that do this — the work, the intensity, the commitment, the sacrifice — and it was just such a pleasure to hear your stories initially. I’m so confident with the base of what we have here. Success is coming, and hopefully very fast.”
Duffy also mentioned she spoke with Virginia Tech signee Myah Hazelton, who reaffirmed her commitment to the program. The other two signees — Lexi Blue and Clara Silva — are headed elsewhere. The former committed to Kentucky Friday afternoon.
That gives the Hokies seven scholarship players for the 2024-25 season. The transfer portal is open and has over 1,000 entries, according to The Next, and features Marquette’s top-two scorers in Liza Karlen (6-2, Gr., 17.7 points per game) and Mackenzie Hare (5-9, Jr., 14.0 ppg).
Part of Tech’s appeal and approach on the recruiting front comes down to resources, including NIL. Babcock said former coach Kenny Brooks was impressed by what Kentucky and the SEC could offer, like the recruiting budget, but noted how the Hokies made the Final Four with said assets. Duffy added on to that sentiment and said she feels like the backing is there to keep Tech a consistent winner.
“I think the resources are here, the fan base is here, and that was a lot of the conversation Whit and I had,” Duffy said. “‘What does it look like with our resources, from staff to our budget, what we can even expand here moving forward?’ A little bit different directly from Whit, but the NIL environment here is really strong. I’m really confident that we have what we need. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think we had what we need.”
Expectations and fan support are at all-time highs at Virginia Tech after the program’s historic run over the last few years, but Duffy’s ready to hit the ground running.
“I came here to win championships and be at the top of the ACC,” she said. “Watching your Final Four run, watching this fan base grow from afar has been incredible, and I don’t think there’s any reason to stop.
There’s going to be some building, obviously with roster management. I’ll let you guys set the expectation from the outside; from the inside, we’re going to establish our culture, we’re going to build relationships, we’re going to fill out our roster with women who want to do it the right way, want to win and care about each other.”