Beloved UVA men’s basketball Coach Bennett explains his sudden retirement

Tony Bennett has announced he will step down as the coach of the University of Virginia men’s basketball team just as the season is set to begin.

“In thinking about this, I would share a quote from a missionary, Jim Elliott, came to mind, and it says, ‘he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose,’” Bennett said at a press conference today. “And I’ve been here for 15 years as the head coach and I thought it would be a little longer, to be honest, but that’s been on loan. It wasn’t mine to keep. This position has been on loan.” 

Bennett initially said he is leaving to spend more time with his family and to spend more time with his octogenarian parents, but offered deeper explanations as the press event continued.

During his tenure, Bennett won the NCAA Championship in 2019.

“To win six regular season ACC championships, two tournament championships, to be in Sweet sixteen and an Elite Eight, win the national championship and the hard losses, the hard losses in the tournament, it’s all part of it,” Bennett said. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” 

UVA Athletic Director Carla Williams explained that she took the job in Charlottesville because Bennett was here.    

“The University of Virginia is an amazing place because of people like Tony. Tony is a hall of Fame coach and a world class human being,” Williams said. 

Bennett has been lauded for his approach to coaching based on humility and passion. 

“Humility means know who you are and have sober judgement,” Bennett said. “And passion means do not be lukewarm, be wholehearted in all you do.” 

Bennett held back tears when he said he’s leaving now because he does not believe he is the best coach in the current environment of college sports and could no longer be whole-hearted. He said he supports recent changes that allow student athletes to receive revenue while playing, but it’s created an environment that has affected his ability to coach. 

“The game and college athletics is not in a healthy spot,” Bennett said. “It’s not. And there needs to be change and it’s not going to go back. I think I was equipped to do the job here the old way, and that’s who I am and that’s how it was. And my staff has buoyed me along to get to this point, but there needs to be change.”

Bennett said the college game will now be more like professional leagues and that will require collective bargaining and regulations to govern a system in which players can decide to switch schools to another one where they will make more money. 

Bennett explained he signed a contract extension earlier this year because that helped the overall program during recruiting. He said he made the decision after the fall break after discussing the matter with his wife. 

Assistant Coach Ron Sanchez will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season. 

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