Virginia AD confirms contact with Dawn Staley about job opening

Sour taste, erased.

Virginia has managed to nab a big name for its new women's basketball coach, while at the same time repairing its relationship with the program's most famous alum.

At the introduction of new coach Tina Thompson, the WNBA's second-leading all-time scorer on Wednesday, UVA athletic director Carla Williams confirmed that she had reached out to South Carolina coach Dawn Staley about the position, according to the Daily Progress's Sam Blum.

Williams' statement echoes what The State had previously reported soon after Virginia coach Joanne Boyle unexpectedly retired at the end of this season — the Cavaliers at least tried to lure Staley, an All-American and national player of the year at UVA, back to Charlottesville.

At the time, Staley strongly denied any interest in the position and said her experience with the school's previous coaching search left a "sour taste in my mouth" — she was contacted but never offered the job, despite several successful years at Temple and the beginning of a resurgence at South Carolina.

This most recent search, however, seems to have gone a long way in mending the damaged relationship between Staley and her alma mater. When Staley said she was not interested in the Virginia job, she also praised Williams, a former administrator and women's basketball player at Georgia, and when the hiring of Thompson was announced, she took to Twitter to express her approval of the deal.

This story was originally published April 18, 2018 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Virginia AD confirms contact with Dawn Staley about job opening."