Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett explains his stunning retirement: "I don't think I'm equipped in this new way to coach"
Virginia men's basketball coach Tony Bennett stunned the college basketball world Thursday afternoon when he announced his retirement, effective immediately, less than three weeks before the opener of what was supposed to be his 16th season leading the Cavaliers.
An understandably emotional met the media Friday morning to explain why he's walking away in good health and good standing at 55 years old.
A measured, cerebral coach who seemingly would've been as comfortable coaching in Division III and the ACC, colleagues long believed Bennett would walk away sooner than later, and sooner arrived when he took a fall break with his family and realized, after 10 years playing collegiately and professionally and more than a quarter century in coaching, he could live without it.
"Will I miss the game? Do I love the game? Absolutely," Bennett said Friday. "But I don't think I'm equipped in this new way to coach and it’s a disservice if you keep doing that. I’m very sure that this is the right step. I wish I could’ve gone longer. I really do. But it was time.
"I am at peace. When you know in your heart it's time, it's time."
Bennett could've grinded his way through the 2024-25 season but he leaves now for reasons both selfish and selfless. As stated above, he felt he would've done a disservice to the team and the program to coach a season his heart was not in. Bennett also wanted to retire now to give Virginia no choice but to promote his self-appointed successor, assistant Ron Sanchez, as the long-term interim.
After three seasons and two NCAA tournaments at Washington State, Bennett took the Virginia job in 2009. It took a while to get there, but by Year 5 the Cavaliers were fixtures atop the ACC standings. Bennett won six ACC regular season championships and two ACC tournament titles.
Bennett also endured the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in the Big Dance. In 2018, Virginia became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 when his Cavaliers, who entered the game 31-2 and 20-1 against ACC competition, were blown out 74-54 by Maryland-Baltimore County. The following year, Bennett led Virginia to its only national championship.
Bennett handled the UMBC loss with a Hall of Fame-level grace and perspective. "That's life," he said after the game. "We talk about it all the time: the adulation, the praise, it comes, and we've got a lot of that this year. And then the other side, blame, but that can't define these guys and our team."
Other than the whiplash of the 2018 exit to the 2019 glory, Bennett will also be remembered for his teams' extraordinarily slow pace of play. Though it resulted in a win 71.9 percent of the time across 602 games and 18 seasons, Bennett's teams annually ranked among the slowest teams in college basketball. And while no one realized it at the time, Bennett's final game saw his team score all of 42 points in a First Four loss to Colorado State this past March.
But beyond all that, Bennett made his players' lives better and he made college basketball better, both for his unique style of play and for his example in leading players through the rigors of high-level athletics. And now it's a game made worse by his absence.
“When people like Tony Bennett exit men’s basketball, exit our industry for something that has nothing to do with teaching or coaching … then shame on all of us," Virginia AD Carla Williams said.
