Round Robin: Reacting to Tony Bennett’s Retirement From Virginia

It’s been a couple days since the news broke of Tony Bennett’s surprising immediate retirement and one day since we all watched the man who built UVA basketball into a national championship-caliber program make it official in an emotional press conference on Friday morning at John Paul Jones Arena. As we try to make sense of the entire situation, four members of the Virginia Cavaliers On SI writing staff – William Smythe, Aidan Baller, Val Prochaska, and Matt Newton – are going to answer some questions and give our reactions to Tony Bennett’s retirement after 15 years at Virginia.

Q. What was your initial reaction to the news that Tony Bennett retired and what do you think about the timing of Bennett’s decision?

William: I was thoroughly shocked, as I assume all Virginia fans were. The first thought was, “is he okay, has something personal/health-related happened,” so I was relieved to hear that this was a decision predicated upon the current state of college basketball — controversial as that sounds. I’ve come to terms with the timing and have found it to make complete sense considering 1) this was the only way to give Sanchez a one-year guarantee as head coach and 2) he’s always done things his own unique way.

Aidan: Initially, I was shocked and upset, and I still am. Tony Bennett has given so much to Virginia basketball, to the University of Virginia, and the sport of basketball, and it’s upsetting to see Bennett depart as he feels he can no longer coach in the current college basketball environment with NIL and the transfer portal. The decision comes at a good time; doing it right before the season starts allows Ron Sanchez and the staff the best chance to put together a good season in hopes of retaining the talent and reputation of this program.

Val: For those of us of a certain age (read that boomers) the cultural zeitgeist was marked by remembering where you were when you heard that Elvis was dead.  For Virginia fans, that question will forever be where were you when you heard the announcement of Tony Bennett’s retirement. 

Before Bennett’s press conference, I thought I would play the Marc Antony role here: Friends, Romans, countrymen, I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.  I was pissed.  If there were no health issues, no life-matters-more-than-basketball issues, then Bennett’s announcement just seemed way too late.  We’re three weeks away from the start of the season.  Dean Smith retired late in the summer so that his longtime friend and assistant Bill Guthridge would get the interim tag and the chance to coach UNC that he wouldn’t get if there was a national search.  I don’t think Ron Sanchez would be the selection if he were going up against an actual search committee.

But… watching that press conference (which is something I never do) and it’s so hard to stay angry at Bennett.  He is the paragon of what coaches ought to be, and while he’s not leaving Sanchez and Co as stocked a roster as Dean Smith did (Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter), Bennett clearly feels he’s leaving a solid team in the hands of a solid staff who will remain faithful to the culture and academic standards of the University.  Furthermore, while Bennett never used the word “burnout,” he is self-aware enough to know that he was maybe two or three bad months away being a victim of such.  I crashed and burned in one phase of my life twenty years ago; I wish I’d had Bennett’s self-awareness.

Why Did Tony Bennett Retire? UVA Basketball Coach Explains Decision

Matt: My first reaction was to think Jeff Goodman’s Twitter account had been hacked, but when UVA made it official a few minutes later, I was floored. No one thought Bennett would coach into old age and many believed he would retire earlier than most, but a Tony Bennett retirement announcement was not on my bingo card for Thursday, the month of October, or the year 2024. A couple days later, I’ve made my peace with the idea that announcing his retirement now makes sense in some ways, namely to give Ron Sanchez a legitimate chance to succeed in this interim season, though at the expense of putting his players in a tough spot. Tony doesn’t owe this school or this program a thing, though his reference to having the head coaching job “on loan” would suggest otherwise, and I think retiring at this time actually optimizes the preservation and success of this program moving forward.

Q. What’s your favorite moment of the Tony Bennett era of UVA basketball (excluding the 2019 National Championship?

William: I had so much fun watching the 2017-18 team shatter expectations en route to a 31-2 finish prior to the UMBC debacle. Ty Jerome’s shot to ice it on the road at Duke stands out to me from that year; victory against Coach K was always sweet, and it was ultra-satisfying for Bennett to upend the Blue Devils and win the ACC Championship over Carolina. We also knew that Guy/Jerome/Hunter would be special shortly into that campaign.

Aidan: My favorite Tony Bennett moment is the 2018 ACC Tournament Championship victory over North Carolina. Growing up as a Virginia basketball fan, the win over UNC was the second game I ever attended as a fan. Although the 2018 season is overshadowed by the ensuing game that shall not be named, that win over North Carolina was a massive accolade in a productive year for the Cavaliers.

Val: I wasn’t paying attention to UVa basketball when Bennett was hired, so I missed his introductory press conference. I’ve seen it in clips over the years, and he referenced it again today.  He said that his father had told him that he’d have to recruit players and staff “that you could lose with.”  Most coaches when they start out have rocky roads, but Bennett’s prescience is still remarkable.  Character is easy when you’re winning.  It gets a lot harder when you’re losing, but all the traits we’ve come to love in Bennett were fore-ordained in that first press conference.

Matt: For all the complains from college basketball fans that Tony Bennett’s brand of basketball was boring to watch, there sure were a lot of memorable endings to games in his tenure. I’d like to recall two of them: the Darius Thompson buzzer-beating three-pointer to cap Virginia’s ridiculous comeback win at Wake Forest in 2016 and De’Andre Hunter’s buzzer-beating three-pointer to punctuate an even more ridiculous rally at Louisville in 2018. Both shots banked in off the glass, and both gave the Hoos victories in games they had no business winning. Virginia trailed Wake Forest by seven points with 15 seconds left and trailed Louisville by four points with 0.9 seconds on the clock. These wins proved Bennett’s Cavaliers had an unwavering sense of belief that served them well in the 2019 national title run.

Q. What’s one impact of Bennett’s departure that people aren’t talking about enough?

William: Bennett’s Five Pillars — servanthood, unity, humility, passion, and thankfulness — are the bedrock of Virginia men’s basketball. He held firm in a belief that a program run with integrity would achieve success, and we will dearly miss a man with his level of character. So, I believe that, although the Five Pillars will likely stick around in some capacity, it’s difficult to replicate that ethos without Bennett there to see it through.

Aidan: Tony Bennett’s mental health.

Bennett briefly mentioned in the press conference his concern about the toll NIL and the transfer portal have taken on athletes, but what about Bennett? All the contract negotiations, non-stop coaching, recruiting, and being a devoted husband and father had to have taken a massive toll on him over the last few years. As he mentioned, it’s not his character to make it about himself, but I do hope his mind finds clarity and peace with this retirement.

Val: Bennett is a fiery, competitive guy.  He wants to. Win. Every. Game.  There’s a lot of pressure on the players to get that great shot, to not let down a man as fine as Bennett.  This team might be more relaxed under the Sanchez-Williford combo.

Matt: I think we ought to spend some serious time contemplating the position Carla Williams is in right now and will be in over the next eight months. With Bennett retiring so close to the year, Williams has no choice but to let Ron Sanchez have this interim season, which Bennett clearly wants to be the first of many seasons with Sanchez as head coach at Virginia. But depending on how this year goes, will Williams feel she has to do right by Bennett and give his hand-picked successor the keys to the program or will she feel the pressure of this being the defining hire of her tenure at UVA and find an external coach with a national search? I think the UVA fanbase could wind up quite divided on that question and Williams will be in a tough spot.

Ron Sanchez Named Interim Head Coach of UVA Basketball

Q. Outside of Ron Sanchez, give a pick for who should be Virginia’s next head coach?

William: I sincerely doubt that he would break an extension and jump ship from Marquette, but Shaka Smart is a program-builder who would fit the Virginia mold quite nicely. No one outside of Purdue’s Matt Painter is keeping players in-house like Smart, who hasn’t brought in a transfer since 2022. A strong culture has yielded two consecutive two-seeds and a Big East Tournament title for the Golden Eagles over the past two years. Lastly, Smart has ties to the region from his time at VCU, and, like Bennett, boasts a proud defensive style.

Aidan: Bucky McMillan has built up a resume as he heads into his fifth season at Samford after leading the Bulldogs to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2000. McMillan is on the rise and may be ready for his next challenge on the big stage of Power Five basketball.

Val: Jay Wright.

Bennett mentioned in his press conference that he’s had talks with Jim Boeheim, Coach K, Jay Wright and others.  All fiery, competitive men like Bennett, but they all told him that no, he wouldn’t actually miss the games.  It’s just too hard.  But… some guys do come back.  Maybe Wright has taken these three years to survey the landscape and figure out how he can fit in it.  (OK, OK, this was obviously my hot-take answer for this discussion.)

Matt: We’re throwing out some big names and very unlikely names in this section, so I’ll follow suit with Rick Carlisle. The Indiana Pacers head coach had a preseason game in Indianapolis on Thursday night, but made sure to make it down to Charlottesville for Tony Bennett’s retirement press conference on Friday morning. The former UVA basketball star is a little on the older side at 64, but has an undeniable resume and championship pedigree, having won the 2011 NBA Championship as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. He’s never coached at the college level and who knows how this season will go for his Pacers, but Carlisle also seems very connected to this program and school, so maybe he’d consider giving it a try next spring.

Q. Give a bold prediction for this season with Sanchez as the interim

William: Virginia still finishes top-5 in the ACC. I’m sure the national media will predict a rapid decline from the ‘Hoos following Bennett’s sudden retirement, but I’m not so sure. Sanchez arguably knows the system better than anyone outside of Tony (and Dick Bennett), has worked with the roster this offseason, and should have them ready to go for the season’s start in a few weeks. Assuming no one transfers out, I believe the Cavaliers will continue their trend of strong regular-season performances amidst all the buzz about a new coach.

Aidan: With Kyle Guy, Isaiah Wilkins, and other former players on the roster, I think there will be a sense of belief this year to play for Bennett. It may be a bumpy start with a learning curve as the team learns to play together, but I believe Ron Sanchez can squeak this team into the NCAA tournament, an achievement that would declare the first year without Tony Bennett as a success.

Val: Sanchez will abandon the Pack Line before ACC play begins.  The Pack Line is extremely challenging for bigs to master.  A colleague of mine once estimated it takes 1000 minutes of playing time to master.  That’s the problem under the new NIL and open-portal college regime.  Bennett wasn’t able to keep his bigs around to flourish in the upper-class years and it’s why UVA’s defense has suffered since the national title.

Matt: Will someone be the cynic and say Virginia will miss the NCAA Tournament in its first year without Tony Bennett? I have no particular desire to speak that outcome into existence, but it’s certainly on the board. I like this team’s roster and believe Sanchez and company could very well have a successful season, but Tony Bennett is UVA basketball and there will be a substantial impact of not having him on the sidelines.

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