London adds to family success

A truly triumphant year for the London family took another positive twist Monday night.

Kristen London, a seldom-used guard on the Virginia women’s basketball team, earned the most meaningful minutes of her career in an eight-point road victory over Clemson.

London logged 18 minutes, scored five points and grabbed five rebounds. The senior also dished out three assists and avoided registering a turnover.

She gets another shot tonight as No. 19 Virginia (16-4, 3-2 ACC) plays Maryland (16-3, 4-1) at John Paul Jones Arena at 7 p.m.

During the Clemson game, University of Richmond coach Mike London and his family gathered in the living room and jumped for joy with every eye-catching play their favorite basketball player made.

“My dad called me like five or six times,” Kristen said. “He said, ‘I am so proud of you.’

“We are very supportive of each other as a family, and it was good to put a smile on their faces. I was like, ‘See, Daddy, I told you so.’”

Mike London, in his first year removed as the defensive coordinator at Virginia, led Richmond to the Football Championship Subdivision championship and was named the AFCA national coach of the year at the FCS level.

Also in the past year, Kristen’s older brother, Brandon, earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the New York Giants practice squad. The former Albemarle and Fork Union star also caught three passes for 38 yards in his playoff debut as a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins on Jan. 4.

Brandon, who played college football at Massachusetts, also called his sister after the game at Clemson to offer a congratulatory message.

“I just want to give back and still play my hardest,” Kristen said. “If I sit on the bench or I go out there like I did. I just want to do my thing and carry the London name.”

It was in practice in the days leading up to the game that Kristen caught the eye of coach Debbie Ryan.

“I feel like I bust my butt every day in practice and [coach Ryan] said if anybody wants to play that they had to show her they could play defense,” Kristen said. “In practice I just got after it. I made some stops against Monica [Wright], I made some stops against Lyndra [Littles].

“She saw that I could stop Monica Wright and she gave me minutes. I feel like I deserved it.”

It marked the 10th appearance of the season for Kristen, who is averaging just 0.9 points per game and has made just two of her 18 shots from the field.

Previous stats should be thrown out the window, according to the guard.

“This is my senior year and I am going to go out with a bang,” she said. “I was playing nervous and it really hindered me the past year and a half that I have been here.

“I created this whole funk about me or whatever. Now, I have nothing to lose. I am just going to go out there and help my team.”

That team-first mentality was something that Kristen learned from her father.

“If Debbie wants me to fill up the water coolers, I will do that,” she said. “Whatever job that she wants to give me, I am going to handle it.

“I just feel like it is a time that has been long coming.”