The Virginia women's basketball team will honor its winningest coach and its all-time leading scorer at halftime of the Cavaliers' season opener against James Madison.
Monica Wright -- who graduated from Virginia in 2010 with 2,540 career points, the highest total in program history -- will have her No. 22 retired by the Cavaliers at halftime of the JMU game. Wright will become the fifth player in program history to have her number retired, joining Donna Holt (11), Dawn Staley (24), Cathy Grimes (25) and Wendy Palmer (31).
Wright averaged 23.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a senior, earning the ACC player of the year and defensive player of the year awards, as well as multiple first team All-America honors. She was the No. 2 overall pick of the WNBA draft that April by the Minnesota Lynx.
During that same halftime ceremony, Wright's college coach, Debbie Ryan, will have her accomplishments recognized with a new banner that will hang at John Paul Jones Arena.
Ryan stepped down as Virginia coach following the 2010-11 season, her 34th as the Cavaliers' head coach. Ryan earned seven ACC coach of the year awards during her tenure at Virginia, and led the Cavaliers to 739 wins. Her teams reached the NCAA Tournament 24 times, including 12 Sweet 16 appearances and three trips to the Final Four.
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