Tony Bennett, who described himself as a “square peg in a round hole,” broke down in tears and said Friday that he abruptly retired from coaching Virginia because he was not fit to navigate his current situation. college basketball.
Bennett, dressed in his signature suit and tie, told those gathered at his exit news conference that the name, image, image rights and transfer portal brought elements to the workplace that he was “not good at.”
“I looked at myself and realized I was no longer the best coach to lead this program,” Bennett said, with athletic director Carla Williams seated next to him. “If you’re going to do it, you have to go all in. You have to have everything. And if you do it half-heartedly, it’s not fair to the university or the young people. That’s why I created it.” “I’m leaving.”
Bennett led Virginia to the 2019 national championship, a year after the Cavaliers became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
At 55, he is the latest and youngest celebrity coach to walk away, citing a degree of weariness with the modern realities of the job. That list also includes former Villanova coach Jay Wright, who retired two years ago at age 60.
“Gaming and college athletics are not in a healthy place,” Bennett said. “And it needs to change. I think I’m ready to do things here the old way. That’s who I am and that’s how it is. My employees have encouraged me to get to this point, but it needs to change.”
(AP Top 25: Kansas tops preseason poll, ahead of Alabama and UConn.)
Former assistant Ron Sanchez, who rejoined the program last season, will serve as interim coach. Williams said a national search for Bennett’s replacement will begin soon, but Bennett expects Sanchez to perform well enough to earn the full-time spot.
Williams said Bennett told her of his decision Wednesday morning, but noted that the two have discussed the possibility at times over the past three years.
“I believe he has the ability to do it, but as he told you all, he has to put his whole heart into it.” Williams’ cheeks were still stained with tears she shed during Bennett’s remarks. “He is humility incarnate, because he can keep doing this and not care about it, but it takes more courage to say, ‘I’m not the type of person to do that.’”
As for the surprising timing of his retirement, less than three weeks before the Nov. 6 opener against Campbell, Bennett said he thought seriously about resigning shortly after last season ended with a Game 4 loss to Colorado State in Dayton, Ohio.
The Cavaliers struggled offensively in that game and haven’t won an NCAA Tournament game since the 2019 title matchup.
However, he said the current recruiting schedule did not allow him enough time to consider his situation, as he had to immediately get to work assessing potential moves.
He said he is excited about the players signed to the program, the new forwards he is installing and the prospects for the upcoming season. He then felt energized enough to sign a long-term contract extension with Virginia, but acknowledged there was absolutely no chance he would last the full term of his contract, which expires in six years.
Then there was finally a break in his busy schedule. He and his wife, Laurel, took a trip during U-Va.’s fall break, which gave the couple an opportunity to reflect and reflect on the future.
“That’s when I realized I couldn’t do this,” Bennett said, overcome with emotion. “It’s not fair to these people and this institution that I love so much to keep working when you know you’re not the right person for the job.”
Bennett’s current players and staff stood in the back of the room Friday, listening to him speak.
“I’m happy for him,” said former player and current assistant coach Isaiah Wilkins. “He seems at peace. I think he knows himself well, and it’s definitely a family decision.”
With former Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage, the man who hired Bennett, looking on, Bennett spoke of his pride in the way he and his staff have built the Cavaliers into one of the most successful programs in the country. Littlepage hired Bennett in 2009 after three strong seasons at Washington State.
After going 15-16 in his first season at Virginia, Bennett recorded 14 consecutive winning seasons.
He posted a 364-136 mark at the school, leading the program to two Atlantic Coast Conference tournament titles, six ACC regular season championships and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. Bennett was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019.
“I couldn’t imagine what it would be like 15 years later,” Littlepage said. “I was thinking more short-term: ‘We need to push this forward and I knew it was going to take years.’ … He had the pedigree, he had the understanding of the college game, there was no doubt he would be successful.
Long ridiculed in the national media for his unusually slow tempo of play and defense-first, second-and-third mentality, Bennett gave his critics plenty of fuel in a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to UMBC in 2018, and his pack line The defense was built to win a championship.
Bennett, in his unique way, handled the loss gracefully and promised the heartbroken players that it would be their “ticket to places they couldn’t go without.”
The next season, after a dramatic run through the NCAA Tournament, Bennett and the Cavaliers won the school’s first national title by beating Texas Tech with a net downer in Minneapolis.
“I’ve been here as head coach for 15 years, and to be honest, I thought it would take a little longer, but I was on loan,” Bennett said. “It wasn’t mine to keep this place. It was on lease and it’s time to give it back.”
The Associated Press reported.
(Want great stories delivered straight to your inbox? Create or log in to a FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive personalized newsletters every day..)
Get more from college basketball Follow your favorites for information on games, news, and more.
