BASKETBALL
Virginia men's coach steps down
Virginia men's basketball coach Tony Bennett never chased the spotlight. That included with his stunning and abrupt decision to retire effective immediately, announced on the eve of the start of the season.
The program said Thursday the 55-year-old Bennett will announce his retirement at a news conference on Friday at 10 a.m. Central. No reasons were given for his decision, which was unveiled simply in an online post by the program months after he had signed a contract extension to keep him in the job through at least 2030.
It came a week after Bennett appeared at the Atlantic Coast Conference's preseason media days, and with the Cavaliers' opener against Campbell looming at home on Nov. 6.
Bennett led the Cavaliers to the national title in 2019. In his 15 seasons as the coach in Charlottesville, he made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances.
He went 364-136 at Virginia, a tenure that included two ACC Tournament titles and six regular-season conference championships. He was voted AP national coach of the year twice, once at Washington State in 2007 and at Virginia in 2018.
Bennett left Pullman for Charlottesville in a cross-country move ahead of the 2009-10 season, charged with resurrecting a program that was notably a regular 1980s winner with 7-4 Ralph Sampson but had reached just one NCAA Tournament in eight seasons. He got the Cavaliers back to March Madness by his third season as he installed a defensive-oriented system that included slow-tempo offense that led to plenty of low scores and had Virginia fans roaring in approval at forced shot-clock violations.
Virginia head coach Tony Bennett speaks during a ACC men's NCAA college basketball media day, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
FILE - Virginia head coach Tony Bennett holds up the net after defeating North Carolina in the championship game of the NCAA Atlantic Coast Conference men's college basketball tournament in New York, March 10, 2018. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)