HARRISONBURG — A James Madison women’s basketball program that returns four starters and the Colonial Athletic Association Sixth Player of the Year is adding a player who can push the Dukes in practice and add some punch after five standout players graduate next season.

Brianna Tinsley, who averaged 7.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists as a sophomore at Virginia this past season, told the Daily News-Record she intends to transfer to JMU.

Tinsley is from Madison and committed to JMU while playing high school basketball for St. Anne’s-Belfield in Charlottesville. She switched to U.Va. after then-Dukes coach Kenny Brooks took the job at Virginia Tech and Sean O’Regan took over.

Tinsley is currently going through the admissions process at JMU, but that is expected to be a formality and the school can announce her addition to the roster once all the paperwork is complete.

“I’ve always had JMU in my heart, even when I changed my mind and decided to go to U.Va.,” Tinsley said. “I wanted to play in the ACC, but lately I have not been happy and I see more opportunities for myself for happiness and success at JMU. Plus I like Coach O a lot.”

In the meantime, Virginia has gone through a coaching change of its own, replacing Joanne Boyle with Tina Thompson, who went 12-19 in her first season with the Cavs. Along with Boyle’s departure, the Cavaliers lost assistant coach Tim Taylor, also a Madison native.

Tinsley said playing close to home was important to her, another reason why transferring to JMU made sense.

“I never really wanted to go far,” she said. “I’m really close with my family and I like to look up and see them in the crowds.They’re very supportive.”

Tinsley will sit out next season, per NCAA transfer rules, but has two years of eligibility remaining beginning in the 2020-21 season.

JMU returns starters Kamiah Smalls, Lexie Barrier, Devon Merritt and Kayla Cooper-Williams, who will all be seniors next season, along with Jackie Benitez, who started the Dukes’ five-game run to the WNIT semifinals with Barrier injured.

But after losing them all to graduation following next season, the Dukes will presumably be looking for an experienced guard to step in, hence the addition of Tinsley.

“I think that I can make an impact immediately on the team,” Tinsley said. “I’ll also be bringing my experience from the ACC which can help. I see that JMU likes to run a fast-tempo game and that is the type of game that I love to play.”