UVA's Tony Bennett is retiring
- Thread starter spiderman
- Start date
I wonder how Bennett would have felt if Guy, Jerome, and Hunter quit less than 3 weeks before their title season started.
Hey, Billboard, why not photoshop your profile picture to say Mooney for UVA? Then you’ll be happy.
I'd like to thank you for tying the room all together with that rug of a post. Amazing work.
It amazes me how I am the only one on this board that thinks belittling our coach and
constant reminder to our players that we don’t have faith in them to keep our coach.
I don’t think that’s a true fan. Just someone with a bad sense of humor. Billboard
fills the bill.
8legs1dream
Graduate Assistant
I don't blame Bennett. Square peg round hole. Made a bold move rather than faking through the season. Looks like he has a conscious and there is nothing wrong with that. I'm sure his assistants knew for a while that this was coming.
Where as someone we know....................
Where as someone we know....................
We won't know from the players if they felt "wronged" unless they publicly say so, but that is not something they should do. Yes, players build relationships with assistants, but a head coach - especially one of Bennett's pedigree - likely plays a big role in their decision to play at UVA with his coaching ability, higher level connections, and I am sure he is an overall good guy that players like to be around. Would you want your child's college professor to leave 3 weeks before classes start because they don't like the direction academia is heading, and instead picked the teaching assistant they wanted to lead the class? I don't know what went on behind the scenes, and while I am sure the assistant coaches had a strong idea/flat out knew (why Ron Sanchez left a head coaching position at Charlotte to go to UVA) it may have blindsided the players.
Also, I see where VT is coming from when saying that perhaps UVA would want to explore other coaching options instead of immediately hiring whomever the coach wants as his successor. While I think Bennett has earned the right to pick his successor, I can see the argument for why he shouldn't. Bennett is a hall of fame coach and led UVA to heights never reached before. However, his way of coaching and recruiting may not work in today's college world anymore, with more emphasis on immediate impact transfers, players for 1-2 years, and less development from high school. He retired for this reason, so it does make sense for UVA to consider hiring a coach who is more adapt to today's world of basketball, rather than immediately hiring who Bennett wanted and is likely more of the same thing. Not saying UVA should or shouldn't do it, but I am sure they would've appreciated more time considering their options. Because of Bennett's 11th hour retiring, the department has their hands tied and kind of forced to go the direction of hiring who Bennett wanted (even on an interim basis), which in my opinion is not a fair thing to do to your department that has given you so much over the years.
Must have been tough decision for TB to do it this late, but at least the kids are getting paid for their troubles. 
Just guessing UVA gave them the most money? Has the guy that took over been on TB's staff long?
Just guessing UVA gave them the most money? Has the guy that took over been on TB's staff long?
One of the articles I read, TB reached out to former players to ask if they would have transferred under the current conditions. Many said they were grateful and helped them greatly to develop, but said maybe. I think the fact that he knows now he doesn't have the opportunity to keep and develop guys like that is a big reason he stepped away. Just unbelievable run winning ACC regular season championships.
They may have honored it - but there is a chance there that they would not. By doing it this way - they have no choice, Bennett made it 100% guaranteed his guy gets the job, at least for 1 year. It takes any chance of the administration going a different direction out of the equation.
I respect your perspective and you make very good points. I’m not an insider on a staff or within an athletic department but I’m not so sure that the NIL and $ negotiations are strictly handled off-season. I think there is a ton of in season tampering and distractions that a coach these days has to deal with. Again, it’s legal and these high paid coaches have to adjust but it’s the Wild West now in terms of the ability to keep a roster in tact that you can coach and develop. Maybe I’m just naive and this stuff has been going on for years behind closed doors but it certainly feels more transactional now.
I’m going to let the players and the UVA administrators determine if there was something wrong with what Bennett did. I don’t have a problem with it and you and VT do. Agree to disagree.
Trying to read too many posts at once…
I wondered why Tyler Burton was reaching out to former players…
I can't comprehend this. no, the guy that negotiated an extension 4 months ago and then quit isn't a part of the program anymore. he doesn't get to pick his replacement.
well in this case he does since there'e no time, but unless it goes amazingly well they may look for a permanent replacement after the season.
I missed that from his earlier post. I don't think any coach has ever earned the right to pick his successor. And, especially now with Bennett, when he has admitted his way is not the best way to navigate the changes out there. This screams hire someone outside the program after doing a long, thought out search.
For me it’s a respect thing. He won a national championship, was 2 time national coach of the year, and won several ACC championships. However, I completely understand the perspective you have that this doesn’t give a 100% pass for him to pick his successor; especially considering UVA’s recent performance and how what worked for Bennett in the past doesn’t appear to fit in today’s college landscape. My bigger point is whether or not UVA decided to go with who Bennett wanted, I am sure they would’ve liked more time to weigh all their options. Instead it was a last minute decision that forced their hand.
8legs1dream
Graduate Assistant
The dude brought them a national championship and they will in all likelihood never reach that mountaintop again. That should count for something but who knows or really cares (among Spider fans)
I completely understand this point of view and am sure there are many people who are fans of UVA basketball that share this sentiment.
The only equivalent thing I can think of to foster uncertainty this close a season would be if - just spitballing here - you didn't know all the teams you were playing 3 weeks before the season started.
And probably plenty that are more than fine with Bennett picking his guy so I get that top.
TB won a Natty for UVA. He can do what he wants to do, including retiring whenever the hell he feels like it. TB will be in the HOF of coaches and will never buy another meal in Charlottesville for the rest of us life.
sure it counts for something. he did his job well and was well compensated for it. but he really screwed them for 2024-25, and maybe beyond if Sanchez isn't the right guy. he'll have a tough time recruiting this year with an interim label.
interesting article here:
Tony Bennett Always Did Things His Way—And College Basketball Is Better for It
The Virginia men's coach abruptly retired Thursday, leaving behind a legacy as the architect of one of the most improbable turnarounds in sports history.
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I wonder if there was a fractured relationship between Bennett and the AD and maybe that played a part in his timing of this decision, which made them hand over "interim" job to Sanchez.
Sanchez was with Bennett for 9 years at UVA and a few before at Washington State, and then offered the Charlotte job in 2018. I wonder if Bennett asked administration to make an offer to keep Sanchez, or something and the school didn't meet his demands and let Sanchez walk. Then after Sanchez didn't work out at Charlotte, he is right back on the staff at UVA and gets to Associate Head Coach.
So I wonder if something happened when Sanchez left and maybe even when he returned that caused Bennett to do it this way as well.
Sanchez was with Bennett for 9 years at UVA and a few before at Washington State, and then offered the Charlotte job in 2018. I wonder if Bennett asked administration to make an offer to keep Sanchez, or something and the school didn't meet his demands and let Sanchez walk. Then after Sanchez didn't work out at Charlotte, he is right back on the staff at UVA and gets to Associate Head Coach.
So I wonder if something happened when Sanchez left and maybe even when he returned that caused Bennett to do it this way as well.
Bennett was a great college coach. I still say this should not afford him the right to enforce/pick the new coach for UVA. I get the coaches that were directly before him were not that good, or in fact bad (Leiato and Gillen 32 games under .500 in ACC in 11 years). But come on, Sanchez was completely mediocre at Charlotte. If you are a UVA fan, you almost have to hope he falls on his face this season to re-inforce they need to go another direction.
I said this with the Davidson hire as well, but any major D-1 program that just self promotes from within and does not engage in a full national search for the head MBB coach is not doing things right. Michigan FB is another example. TB put UVA hoops as a major player back on the map, it will be coveted position and should be treated as such. You get the best possible person you can get for that type of job. They can get a head coach who has either won big at a slightly lower level or a big time assistant.
Sanchez already had a head coaching gig at Charlotte and in 5 years had a below .500 record. UVA will have much better candidates than that to choose from. If Sanchez has a great season at UVA though, that will certainly way in his favor.
Sanchez already had a head coaching gig at Charlotte and in 5 years had a below .500 record. UVA will have much better candidates than that to choose from. If Sanchez has a great season at UVA though, that will certainly way in his favor.
Agree 100%. There's a reason why no one other than Charlotte wanted Sanchez or Williford to be their coach the past several years. UVA should be a very attractive job that some of the very best coaches out there would want. Just a selfish move by Bennett.
I don't think Bennett retired to anoint Sanchez as his successor. He retired because he lost the fire to coach anymore. I agree that retiring 2 weeks before the season starts really puts the team in a bad position, but the man has all the $$$ in the world, has accomplished everything a coach could possibly want to accomplish and if he doesn't feel he is up to grind anymore than you have to be true to yourself and your family.
all true, but you can be true to yourself and your family without screwing the university who paid you tens of millions of dollars, the athletes you recruited, and the alumni who supported you.
8legs1dream
Graduate Assistant
now replace "Charlotte" with Richmond and "Sanchez or Wiliford" with you-know-who and put on one of your patented mental gymnastics showcases explaining away the dissonance.
He admitted he hasn't been into it for awhile now. He hasn't done much recruiting at all. He hasn't even talked with the 2026 recruits because he knew he wouldn't be around for them. Just a terrible look for him IMO. He should have taken a week or two after the season and either decided to be all in this year or retire then. What happens now when lineups get juked around? Players' minutes change? He might have thought all the players would be "okay" with his decision, but no chance. There will likely be multiple times this year where some guys think about their coach quitting on them. Will they all respond with fire and 100% committment? I doubt it. How ridiculous for Bennett to think this was the right way to do this and all would be okay.
I think this just points more and more to Bennett wanted to give the job to his guy, Sanchez, and that is likely because of some level of mistrust that exists between him and his boss - the AD. If Bennett and the AD Williams were really that close and had a "great" relationship, then it likely would not have been handled this way. But there just seems to be some smoke around the idea that maybe Williams and Bennett were not on the same page, and therefore, Bennett felt this was the only way to handle it.
