I think we will finish higher than 167. A ceiling of 62 seems fair for this simulation given our weaker schedule and uncertainty of performance with a lot of newcomers.

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Tomorrow might be one of the most meaningful regular season games we will have in a while (along with W&M in November). I hope there is a good turnout this game.

I don't think it makes sense to let the coach pick his successor, especially an assistant.

Look at Bill Belichick's assistants.

I will form a committee - 97, Gkiller, EL, SF, Section 9 , sman, and yes even 4700 may be invited among others. I will fire off guys if they are not bringing good research and recommendations, but I do like some diverse ideas and views and open to "outside the box" thinkers.

And no Gkiller, no meetings at Blackies.

SpiderTrap said:

I think Bennett earned the right - given all the time and wins he gave UVA, to pull this move.

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I think a lot of us would agree that Bennett has earned the right to pick his successor. My counterargument though is what makes you think that UVA would not have honored Bennett's choice of successor had this gone a different way? He has earned the right to pick who he wants, like you say, and I am sure UVA would respect that. Think about all the legendary coaches who retired after being at the program for a long time. As far as I can tell they were all succeeded by assistant/associate coaches of their respective programs. Jim Boheim -> Adrian Autry; Coach K -> Jon Scheyer; Roy Williams -> Hubert Davis; Bob McKillop -> Matt Mckillop. I think Bennett signing a contract extension in June - when he likely had given strong thought that he wasn't going to coach the upcoming season - was misleading to recruits/transfers in the offseason and not fair to them.

The reason I think he had known before the season he was going to retire was because a) Ron Sanchez left a head coach position from Charlotte last year to be associated HC at UVA and b) looks like his dad did something similar when he was HC at Wisconsin (link below), so that’s probably where the idea was inspired from. Again, he is a first-class coach and a wonderful guy. I just don't think he handled this the best way he could have.

I think Bennett is a good coach, and like I mentioned in earlier post and now seeing press conference and his explanation - this was definetley a way to hand over the program to his assistant. You can't tell me he didn't know at the end of last year he didn't NIL and college sports was going to cause a lot of issues. College basketball was in a bad spot last year, and is this year, maybe a little worse, maybe a little better.

But this only makes me think our coach as this is something I can see Mooney pulling off. And to be honest - I am not against it. I think Bennett earned the right - given all the time and wins he gave UVA, to pull this move. And I can see Mooney pulling the same move in the future and handing the program over to Pete Thomas. I don't expect it anytime soon, but its clear Mooney will never be fired at UR based on his history and accomplishments. And let me say - I don't think he should be fired - he won the A10 last year. I am just saying, he has deposited enough in the bank with UR administration where he has reached un-fireable level. Whether you agree with that or not is not the question, that is simply reality. And given that - I could see him wanting to hand the program off to one of his most loyal and longtime players and coaches. Pete Thomas - walk-on to Scholarship player. Starts under JW, finishes under Mooney. Coaches with Mooney - gets to the NCAA, then moves to Campbell. Comes back to UR as associate head coach. Fills in for Mooney when he steps away for medical reasons. All of this screams coach in waiting IF Mooney pulls the same schedule as Bennett and retires (when is the question) just before season starts to allow it to be handed over to assistant.

Not saying its guaranteed to happen. But I think each year Mooney coaches and has good years (top 5 in the A10) and Thomas is by his side, it becomes more and more probable.

spiderstudent17 said:

I have a ton of respect for Bennett and he is a hall of famer coach who has done it the right way. He is a class act. I am also glad to hear that there are no health or familial issues. Knowing the full picture now, I do think that leaving 2.5 weeks before the season starts just to get the guy he wants, who was an assistant coach, to be head coach is unfair to the program and especially the players he recruited this offseason. Announce that this will be your last season or retire in the offseason, but don’t leave your guys high and dry right as the season starts just because you don’t like the direction college athletics is heading. Just my 2 cents.

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Agree 100% with everything you said here.

I disagree that there is no path to an at large.
I think those 20 point wins at Auburn, at VCU, and at Dayton will help…

32counter said:

It’s a sad joke.The thread is a nothing burger.4th grade stuff.

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Hmmm, you must be on Hardt's payroll or group chat.

I have a ton of respect for Bennett and he is a hall of famer coach who has done it the right way. He is a class act. I am also glad to hear that there are no health or familial issues. Knowing the full picture now, I do think that leaving 2.5 weeks before the season starts just to get the guy he wants, who was an assistant coach, to be head coach is unfair to the program and especially the players he recruited this offseason. Announce that this will be your last season or retire in the offseason, but don’t leave your guys high and dry right as the season starts just because you don’t like the direction college athletics is heading. Just my 2 cents.

I think the reason why this new college landscape has helped us is primarily because Mooney has always done well with players who fit the system he is trying to implement. Before, we would need to hope that a high school recruit develops and becomes a KA, K0, Gilly type player and if not, it used to be a player would have to sit out a year before playing as a transfer. However, now that is no longer the case. We can scout players who have shown their ability at the collegiate level and have a better sense of how they will fit our system and what they can contribute. We can hone in on the players we want and they can make an instant impact, playing immediately. King is the perfect example. Ideally we would have someone like King for 3-4 years rather than 1, but finding players who have adjusted to college basketball in terms of speed, size, athleticism and shown their ability is very helpful. Add the fact that we have a very solid NIL, we become a more appealing option for recruits. The more we win individual and team awards and garner national attention, the easier it also becomes in recruiting someone as well.

SpiderTrap said:

. I don't doubt the top athletest make a lot or the big schools hand out money, but I think right now - there is difference in perspective and reality.

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Just ask the UNLV Quarterback - at least he was for the first 3 games

RichmondNative said:

As soon as Jay Wright retired, a friend and I discussed Bennett and we both agreed that Tony would be the next “unexpected” retirement. Obviously, there have been others but this is not a surprise. As far as the timing, it is definitely a move to allow an assistant a chance and why is that a bad thing? Would UVA be better off if he had retired in the Summer? Would other schools? It would have been yet another shifting of players from one school to the next - exactly what Bennett and other coaches are against. I think Bennett played it exactly the right way.

Good luck on the retirement.

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This makes a whole lot of sense, great post thank you Native

Read an "Athletic" article. Bennett was very proud of beating up on Duke and UNC without 5 star recruits. He was all in on concept of guys toughing it out and improving. Not a really shocking move at all, other than the timing obviously.

On another note, based on last two years portalling, we seem to be in a better position that before in this current state, which surprises me. I think some of the factors playing into our favor are:
1) Mooney is seen as a "players coach", and has fostered a good "family" type of atmosphere - attractive to players. See Beagle as example 1, think he came from opposite scenario so this factor weighed big for him.
2) We seem to have solid NIL funds (just my speculation) based on who we are getting and the competition.
3) Mooney was not one to run players off - so the advent of the portal actually helped move OUT guys that were likely not going to develop into starters or stars, and open up the spots for better players in the portal. Trade out JayNel, bring in King. Maybe not a 1:1 there, but you get the picture.

in the dark horse category

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As soon as Jay Wright retired, a friend and I discussed Bennett and we both agreed that Tony would be the next “unexpected” retirement. Obviously, there have been others but this is not a surprise. As far as the timing, it is definitely a move to allow an assistant a chance and why is that a bad thing? Would UVA be better off if he had retired in the Summer? Would other schools? It would have been yet another shifting of players from one school to the next - exactly what Bennett and other coaches are against. I think Bennett played it exactly the right way.

Good luck on the retirement.

He acknowledges he's not the right person to lead UVA into this new era. Says the game and college sports aren't in a healthy place. He says you can't do the job half-heartedly as it's not fair to the university and the kids, and he just feels he's not the right person for the job anymore.

Also some mention of family, wanting to spend more time with his wife, be a better father to his kids, not have any regrets with his 81-year-old parents.

Red Spiders v Blue Hens

LongTimeLurkerFirstTimePoster said:

why are you so obsessed with how much money they are making?

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Not obsessed - but without tranparency - these kids have dreams of grandeur that they can make so much money from NIL, when the reality might be far from that. I don't doubt the top athletest make a lot or the big schools hand out money, but I think right now - there is difference in perspective and reality. And this causes a lot of transfer portal moves as kids THINK they can score big, but really - it might not be out there.

Plus - with transparency - it would help schools know what they are up against and competing against. Much like all of MLB teams know they are competing against the Yankees and their 300 million dollar payroll , it would be helpful for schools to know what they are up against and maybe what they need to do in order to get to next level. And does money equal wins - of course not. But you can't argue, the teams with the most money and most spending, have a leg up from the start.

I think there will be some family matter that played into this decision for Bennett, or at least - that is how it will be portrayed. And of course, nobody wishes that upon anyone. But I think there is also a matter of timing here - I find it hard to believe this was not a little planned out by Bennett as a way to hand over the team to his assistant coach, Sanchez. The timing doesn't give administration any choice but to hand it over and I have seen reports today that says Bennett has been acting more in a CEO capacity the last year or two in preparation for this. Letting the assistants handle more and more of the day to day.

And honestly - Bennett has earned that right. Reviving UVA hoops to a perennial top ACC program and top 25-30 program nationally. Not to mention, going from being knocked out as 16 seed to winning it the next year. And this sets up his assistant coach for success. He could have done it last year, but I think he was less certain on how good a team he had. Much easier for Bennett to absorb a bad year than a first year or interim coach. This year, still not sure how good they will - but they are picked 5th in ACC, so if they can exceed that and finish top 4 or 3 - they will be a solid NCAA team with a good chance to make it past the first weekend. If the interim coach does that - the job is theirs to keep.

Hopefully - his family and self are okay and this is not driving him leaving. But otherwise - I tend to believe this was a way to hand over the reigns to his assistant.

spiderman said:

yeah, crazy timing. Goodman seems to be speculating that it has something to do with NIL, but I don't see it. the NIL stuff really shouldn't be all that difficult to deal with.

might be as simple as he's burnt out, and he thought he'd have the fire back by the time the season started, but he really wasn't enjoying it anymore. happens sometimes. and while the pay is great, you might look at your account and say "I really don't need more. It's not worth it to me."

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I think it can be very difficult to deal with when you have players, their parents/agents/"mentors" constantly coming into your office and asking for a raise and promises of playing time, threatening to transfer, etc. I know many colleges are hiring GM's to handle these transactions but it's still a lot to deal with especially if you are a teacher like Bennett or Saban who want to focus on coaching and preparing their team. Saban literally said that two weeks after the season last year he had a stream of players coming into his office to renegotiate their deals and asking for guarantees of playing time or they would have to consider transferring. Obviously football rosters are huge compared to basketball and I have ZERO insight/info into Bennett's thinking but it sounds like that may be his reasoning as well. And for the record all of this NIL $ is totally legal (your value as a player is literally whatever someone is willing to fork over) and I don't begrudge these players or their families at all for taking these lucrative paydays but it does add a lot to a coach's plate outside of just coaching and preparing his/her team. And yes these coaches make a ton themselves so they aren't victims here. Mooney seems to have navigated this NIL and transfer portal era well but there's always the risk that we have an all A-10 caliber player get poached/lured away by a bigger program and then you might see more grumbling in Spider Land regarding this transactional world.

SpiderDogg said:

Great work 8legs! Appreciate it. Seems much stronger

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you're welcome 👍

Much stronger indeed. I would be overjoyed with any one of those.

LongTimeLurkerFirstTimePoster said:

Its October 18 and there is a string for us to basically write off the OOC schedule. Insane.

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It's October 18 and we don't know our complete OOC schedule yet. Insane

Someone with 900 posts has "FirstTimePoster" in their name. More insane.

J/k tbh I really like your handle.

However not sure I like your comment. Anyone can start a thread. Looks to me like basically every response disagreed. Even tho almost all would acknowledge the schedule does not help us. The staff messed up. I still have very high expectations of this team and program.

brooklyn brownstone said:

I mistook your summary and for a moment thought they meant Glou was coming from a terrible offensive team...UConn. As you might imagine, I had to reread and process before realizing my mistake.

Good players can come from bad offensive systems IMO. They just have to buy into the better system they move to. Some coaches were not meant to coach offense.

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Right, the critique that B. Artis and Dusan are "chuckers" (the term they used) I think is off base. They will have plenty of opportunity, but worried that they will disrupt the offense is down the list of my concerns. As noted previously, more concerned about the defensive side of the ball and ability to continue the mindset and efficiency we saw on D last season.