If Carlisle Felt Like a Stretch, Jenny Boucek Might Be the Real Fit for UVA’s GM Role
Look, if my last article about Rick Carlisle becoming UVA Basketball’s GM made you roll your eyes, that’s fair. We admitted up front: it was speculation, not sourcing. The dots were there, but the jump was big. NBA head coach to college GM? Sure, a long shot. So let’s try something different. Let’s talk about someone else with real UVA roots, and deep basketball knowledge built over two decades of coaching and team-building at the highest level. Let’s talk about Jenny Boucek.
Jay Ballard
6/27/20252 min read
UVA Alum. NBA Coach. Natural GM.
Jenny Boucek was a star at UVA under Debbie Ryan, graduating as the top student in the Curry School of Education with a double major in sports medicine and sports management—basically a GM starter kit.
She’s been a proud Wahoo since the day she put on the uniform, and few have worn it with more excellence on and off the court.
She’s also someone who’s already done the things a college GM would be asked to do:
Scouted and evaluated talent for roster fit at the NBA and WNBA level
Helped build and manage rosters under salary cap and player limit constraints
Led player development plans to improve performance and retain talent
Built strong locker room culture and handled relationship dynamics
Acted as a communication bridge between players, coaches, and front office
Managed team logistics and operations as a WNBA head coach
Worked in high-pressure environments with evolving roles and personalities
Has a sports management degree — directly relevant to NIL and portal logistics
The Carlisle Connection (Still Matters)
We mentioned in that other article that Ryan Odom visited Rick Carlisle during the Eastern Conference Finals. That’s not nothing.
What we didn’t focus on then—but will now—is that Jenny Boucek is a key part of Carlisle’s staff. She’s one of his most trusted voices. If Odom was there to talk shop or kick around ideas about building a program, it wouldn’t be shocking if her name came up.
And unlike Carlisle, Boucek’s next move might realistically be out of the NBA and into a leadership role like this.
She’s already broken barriers as one of the few women to coach in the NBA. Now, UVA could give her the chance to do it again—this time as a General Manager. While she wouldn’t be the first female GM in the ACC (Duke holds that distinction under John Scheyer), she’d still be a pioneering hire and a powerful statement about the program’s vision for the future.
A Smarter Long Shot?
So yes, maybe Rick Carlisle felt like a reach. But Jenny Boucek?
Still speculative? Sure. Insider information? Nope
But more practical and more modern? A definite yes.
She’s one of the smartest basketball minds UVA’s ever produced—and just might be the most qualified person in the country for this specific job.
No hype, no heat check. Just a name that makes more sense the more you think about it. Now you can all tell me how wrong I am! Go Hoos!