From the Heart: Emotional Tony Bennett Bids Farewell to UVA Basketball

If Tony Bennett were reading from a prepared statement, that piece of paper could have been smudged by tears. 

Instead, the emotional University of Virginia icon spoke without notes and from his heart Friday at John Paul Jones Arena, where he announced his retirement as the Cavaliers’ men’s basketball coach. 

Bennett was reflective, honest and forthcoming about his sudden departure from a program he built to a championship level over 15 seasons in Charlottesville. 

He cited his discomfort with the changing landscape of college athletics in recent years, with the establishment of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness deals to compensate student-athletes, and said he considered retirement following the end of last season. Encouraged then by the work of his staff in the spring in making roster enhancements, he carried on. He signed a contract extension in June. 

Last week, though, while the University was on fall break, Bennett and his wife, Laurel, took a trip to the Tides Inn on the Chesapeake Bay and he again began to question his desire to maintain his position in a game he’s loved all his life. 

“That’s when I kind of came to the realization that I can’t do this,” Bennett said with a crack in his voice. “It’s not fair to these guys, and this institution that I love so much, to continue on when you’re not the right guy for the job.”

So, the Bennett era at UVA is officially over after a school-record 364 wins, six regular season Atlantic Coast Conference titles, 10 NCAA Tournament appearances and the 2018-19 national championship. The 55-year-old was named ACC Coach of the Year four times and was twice named National Coach of the Year while in charge of the Wahoos. 

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Ron Sanchez, who’s coached alongside Bennett for parts of the last two decades, including two stints at UVA, is taking over as an interim head coach for the 2024-25 season, which begins Nov. 6 with a game against Campbell University in John Paul Jones Arena.

Sanchez was Bennett’s assistant at Virginia from 2009 to 2018 before becoming the head coach at UNC Charlotte, where he compiled a 72-78 record over five seasons before resigning to return to UVA in June 2023.  

“I always hoped that, when my time was done, that whether it was Ron or Jason (Williford), the two associate head coaches, that someone would take this over because it means (the program’s) in a good place and you’ve liked what you’ve seen and how we’ve done it,” Bennett said. “They’ll have their own twist, this staff will, on what they’ll do moving forward.”

Bennett built his program on his signature five pillars of humility, passion, unity, servanthood and thankfulness, a set of standards UVA Director of Athletics Carla Williams alluded to in saying, “We’re all better because of the way (Bennett) has represented college basketball and college athletics.”

The rapid changes in that environment, however, made Bennett rethink his role. He labeled himself a “square peg in a round hole” when it came to dealing with the new challenges of college sports.

“The staff pulled me along,” Bennett said. “They would handle the talks with the (player) agents, they would handle things. I realized, if I’m going to do this, I have to be involved in everything. They made it easy for me, because of how they reacted. … I’m a square peg in a round hole. That’s what it is. Maybe that’s the hard part to admit, but it’s OK because when you tell the truth, there’s freedom in that. That’s the reality of it.”

“I have been here as 15 years as the head coach … this position has been on loan and it’s time to give it back … I’ve given everything I had for 15 years.” pic.twitter.com/9eskqWYDXf

— Virginia Men’s Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) October 18, 2024

Bennett’s legacy remains secure among the many notable Wahoos who attended Friday’s news conference. The spectators included UVA President Jim Ryan, Board of Visitors Rector Robert Hardie, former women’s basketball coach Debbie Ryan, current women’s basketball coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, football coach Tony Elliott, former basketball player and current Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle as well as the current UVA men’s basketball team. 

Kyle Guy, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2019 Final Four who returned this summer to take a job on Bennett’s staff, noted that his son, Chance Anthony Guy, is named after Bennett. 

“He’s meant the world to me,” Guy said. “I don’t have the words, but I will have the words because I want to make sure he gets his flowers. That’ll be my job for the foreseeable future because of the impact he’s had on me and everyone he’s ever touched.”

Craig Littlepage, the former UVA athletics director who hired Bennett from Washington State University in 2009, said Bennett exceeded expectations.

“He had the pedigree,” Littlepage said. “He had the understanding of the college game. He came to understand the University of Virginia in short order. And those things, in addition to bringing in the right people to support him, there was no question he was going to have success.”

Carlisle, who played on the 1984 Final Four team under the legendary Terry Holland at UVA, is grateful for Bennett’s ability to lift his alma mater to new heights.

“The two words that come to mind are ‘thank you,’” Carlisle said, “for everything he’s put into this, everything he’s stood for and the way that they’ve done it. … I completely respect what he’s done here with his decision. He’s a very unique person in the world of college basketball.

“We’ll likely never see another person or coach quite like him.”