Tony Bennett, who described himself as “a square peg in a round hole,” said Friday that he abruptly retired from coaching at Virginia because he was not suited to lead the current landscape of college basketball.
Charlottesville, Va. (AP) — Describing himself as “a square peg in a round hole,” a tearful Tony Bennett said Friday. He suddenly retired from training In Virginia, he is not suited to navigate the current landscape College basketball.
Bennett – dressed in his signature suit-minus-tie look – told those gathered at his exit news conference that the name, image and image and money and exchange portal had brought him “not the best” elements.
“I looked at myself and I realized, I’m not the best coach to lead this program,” Bennett said with athletic director Carla Williams sitting next to him. “If you’re going to do it, you’ve got to have it all. You’ve got to have it all. If you do it half-heartedly it doesn’t suit the university and those young people. That’s what made me step down.
Bennett famously led Virginia 2019 National Championship A year after becoming the first team Knocked out by a 16-seed in the NCAA tournament.
He’s the latest — and, at 55 — youngest high-profile coach to walk away, citing a degree of burnout with the profession’s modern realities. That list includes former Villanova coach Jay Wright He retired two years ago In the 60’s.
“Sports and college athletics are not in a healthy place,” Bennett said. “And change is needed. I think I was ready to do the job here the way it used to be. That’s who I am. My staff has encouraged me to get to this point, but change is needed.
Former assistant Ron Sanchez, who reunited last season, will take over as interim coach. Williams said a national search for Bennett’s replacement will begin soon, but Bennett is confident Sanchez will perform well enough to take the position full-time.
Williams said Bennett informed him of his decision Wednesday morning, though he noted the two had discussed the possibility at times over the past three years.
“I’m sure he’s ready to do the job, but like he told all of you, he’s got to put his whole heart into it,” Williams said, his cheeks still tear-stained at Bennett’s comments. “He’s the epitome of humility because he can keep doing this and his heart isn’t in it, but it takes a lot of courage to say, ‘I’m not the guy.'”
Given the impressive timing of his layoff, three weeks before the team’s Nov. 6 opener against Campbell, Bennett said he seriously considered quitting immediately after last season’s top-four 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 game.
But because the current recruiting calendar requires him to immediately get to work evaluating potential transfers, Bennett said he hasn’t taken the time to fully consider his situation.
He said the players the program signed are excited about the new offense he will install and the prospects for the upcoming season. He felt strong enough to sign a long-term extension with Virginia, though he admitted he was unlikely to last the full term of the deal, which ended in six years.
Then, finally, there was a break in his hectic schedule. He and his wife, Laurel, took a trip during UVa’s fall break that gave the couple a chance to process and think about the future.
“That’s when I realized I couldn’t do this,” Bennett said, overcome with emotion. “It’s not fair to these guys, and to this company that I love so much, to move on when they 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 Isaiah Wilkins, now an assistant coach with the program. “I can see he’s relieved. I think he knows himself better and obviously it’s a family decision.
The man who hired Bennett, former Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage, said Bennett spoke of his pride in the way he and his staff built the Cavaliers into one of the nation’s most successful programs. Littlepage hired Bennett in 2009 following three strong seasons at Washington State.
After a 15-16 record his first year at UVa, Bennett posted 14 straight winning seasons.
He went 364-136 at the school, leading the program to two ACC 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.
“In 15 years, I don’t imagine what it will look like,” Littlepage said. “I thought more in the short term. ‘We’ve got to get this thing going, and we know it’s going to take two years.’ … He had the pedigree. There was no doubt he would succeed at the University of Virginia.
Long derided by many national media types for his unusually slow play and defense-first-and-second-and-third mentality, Bennett’s 2018 NCAA Tournament first-round loss to UMBC gave his critics ample fuel. His back-line defense is built to win championships.
Bennett, in his signature way, handled the loss with grace and assured his heartbroken players that it would be “a ticket to a place where it can’t go without.”
The following season, after a dramatic run through the NCAA Tournament, Bennett and the Cavaliers cut down the nets in Minneapolis, topping Texas Tech and winning the school’s first national title.
“I’ve been here 15 years as a head coach and I thought I’d have a little longer to be honest, but it’s on loan,” Bennett said. “It’s not mine to own. This position is in debt, and it’s time for me to pay it back.”
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