50 & Forever: From Intramural Courts to Cassell Magic

When Hugh Elwood talks about Virginia Tech women’s basketball, he doesn’t speak like a casual fan. He speaks like someone who was there from the very beginning, as the boyfriend of one of the program’s original players and a firsthand witness to its earliest days. His love for the sport is deeply rooted, shaped long before big crowds and before Cassell Coliseum became one of the toughest places to play in the country. Turning back the clock, Elwood shares his Virginia Tech women’s basketball experience beginning in 1973. 

“I was fortunate enough that my girlfriend at the time was on the team,” Elwood said, recalling the program’s start. “She asked me to come see one of their games at the War Memorial Gym, and after the first game, I was hooked.”  

At the time, the women’s team was still a club program, playing on intramural courts without scholarships or much funding. But that never stopped the devoted group of women. What they lacked in resources, they made up for in passion and a shared love for the game. 

“It was a ton of fun,” Elwood said. “The ladies weren’t in it for scholarships. There was no big-time promotion. It was just about playing.” 

Elwood didn’t just watch the team grow; he became part of its world. The joy surrounding the program resonated so deeply that he took every opportunity to be involved. He even announced a few games, laughing at the memory now. 

“I was fortunate enough to be able to announce a couple of their games. Terrible, of course,” he joked. “But it was a start. It’s very humbling to think I was there when they got their start and to see how far they’ve come.” 

That closeness extended to practice as well. When then-head coach Joe Sgro, a professor at Tech who took over the team until 1976, needed extra bodies, the players’ boyfriends were invited onto the court to scrimmage. 

“We were all terrible,” Elwood said. “But it gave the ladies a chance to practice against people they weren’t used to seeing every day. It was a really unique, fun opportunity.” 

Traveling with the team in the 1970s looked nothing like it does today. With no charter buses or flights, the program relied on personal cars and short road trips. Despite the challenges, those trips remain some of Elwood’s favorite memories. 

“So what we would do is, the boyfriends and the coach would get their personal cars and shuffle everybody around,” he said. “They tried to make the schedule close by school, so it was all drivable. But there were some memorable trips there,” he added with a laugh. “I could go into detail, but I don’t think I will.” 

From those humble beginnings, Elwood has watched the program transform into a nationally recognized powerhouse—something he compares to watching a family member grow up. For someone who once stood on the sidelines of a small gym, the scale of today’s fan support still feels surreal. 

“It’s kind of like watching your kid grow up,” he said. “You saw where it was, and now you see where it is.” 

That growth became especially clear to Elwood during a road game against Virginia, when he looked around John Paul Jones Arena and saw Hokie maroon filling the stands. 

“JPJ holds about 20,000 people,” Elwood recalled. “And there must have been 10 or 11,000 Virginia Tech fans there. They don’t just fill Cassell anymore—they travel.” 

The contrast still amazes him. 

“In the ’70s, there might have been 200 or 300 people in the stands,” he said. “Now it’s thousands. It’s just amazing.” 

Even living out of town, Elwood remains deeply connected to the program, thanks in part to modern technology. 

“Because of the internet, it’s easy to keep up,” he said. “I watch them religiously when they’re on TV.” 

When asked what he would tell someone who has never experienced a game at Cassell Coliseum, his answer is simple: you must feel it for yourself. 

“It’s the energy,” Elwood said. “Everyone knows how special Lane Stadium is. Cassell Coliseum is the same way. You can’t explain it—you’ve just got to be there.” 

As the Hokies are playing a second season under head coach Megan Duffy, Elwood remains grateful for the journey and proud of the program he has followed from its very first steps to its national stage. 

The upcoming 50 seasons celebration is not just about honoring wins and records; it’s about honoring the generations of Hokies who built this legacy, and the ones that continue it from the ground up, one practice, one game, and one loyal fan at a time. That legacy will be celebrated in unforgettable fashion on Feb. 1, when the Virginia Tech Hokies host their longtime rival, the Virginia Cavaliers, in a can’t-miss Smithfield Commonwealth Clash inside Cassell Coliseum.