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OCTOBER 2022 27 During Boninti's fourth year, Terry Hol- land left Davidson and was named the new head coach at Virginia. That same year, Boninti was named one of the team's co- captains. During that season, there were a plethora of highlights for Boninti, but the most memorable experience was a 65-62 win over the Tar Heels in front of an electric crowd at University Hall. After Boninti graduated from UVA in 1975, he and his wife moved back to New York City where he worked for the Mets. However, after spending six months in the city, the Bonintis agreed that they wanted to move back to Charlottesville. After settling back in the area, Boninti decided to transition to a career in real estate. Since then, he has founded the Rivanna Realty and Investment Company and co-founded Primary Investment and Management Company. However, basketball continues to play a large role in his life. Boninti regularly plays pick-up basketball with students around Charlottesville — Tonsler Park, the Dell and the AFC. "The most fun time of the year is when the first-year students arrive at the gym and would prefer not to have an old man on their team," Boninti joked. "That usu- ally changes pretty quickly. Over the years, I have greatly enjoyed the opportunity of mentoring and interacting with the stu- dents during their stay at UVA." To this day, Andrew Boninti remains a huge part of the Virginia basketball com- munity, and notes how great Dean and Markel Families Men's Head Basketball Coach Tony Bennett is with connecting past and present players. "Not only does he do this with the re- cent graduates," Boninti said, "but he goes out of his way to make the real old-timers, like me, feel like they are part of the UVA basketball family." As Boninti reflects on the opportunities he's had throughout his life, the chance to be a student-athlete at UVA was one of the most defining. "My entire life really has been defined by the positive experience that I had as a student-athlete at UVA," he said. "I think so much so that, 50 years later, we still live in Charlottesville and continue to make the most of everything that the University of Virginia has to offer." — Maddie Boylston Following a brief stint in New York City after graduation, Boninti and his wife, Frances, relocated to Charlottesville where he built a successful career in commercial real estate, and they have remained ever since. (Photo courtesy Andrew Boninti)