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WINTER 2024-25 13 BY JEFF WHITE T ony Bennett arrived on Grounds in the spring of 2009 as something of a mystery to many University of Vir- ginia basketball fans, who knew only that he shared a name with a world-famous singer. Fifteen years later, Bennett left UVA as a legend. "The University of Virginia is an amazing place because of people like Tony," athletic director Carla Williams said during the Oct. 18 press conference at which Bennett discussed his decision to retire as the start of 2024-25 season approached. "Tony has led the program with his guiding pillars of humility, passion, unity, servanthood and thankfulness, and we're all better because of the way he has represented college bas- ketball and college athletics." Under Bennett, who was named ACC Coach of the Year four times, the Wahoos posted a 364-136 record. They won the conference tournament twice (2014 and 2018), captured the six ACC regular-season titles and advanced to the NCAA Tourna- ment 10 times, winning it all in 2019. (Had the COVID-19 pandemic not wiped out the postseason in 2020, UVA would have made the NCAA Tournament that year as well.) Along the way, the Hoos established a formidable home-court advantage at John Paul Jones Arena, where fans delighted in cheering shot-clock violations by opposing teams. "I know at times we weren't the prettiest to watch," Bennett said, smiling, "but beauty is in the eye of the beholder." His tenure included unforgettable highs and, on occasion, heart-wrenching lows. In 2018, UVA became the first No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament history to lose to a No. 16 seed, falling to the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) in Charlotte, N.C. A year later, the Cavaliers made happier history in the NCAA Tournament. In the Elite Eight, they edged Purdue after a miraculous sequence at the end of regulation sent the game to overtime. At the Final Four, guard Kyle Guy scored six points in the final 7.4 seconds — the final three coming on free throws with six-tenths of a second left — to lift Virginia past Auburn and into the NCAA championship game. UVA took on Texas Tech in the champion- ship game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Min- neapolis. In front of a crowd that included many of Bennett's former players from UVA (and Washington State), as well as Wahoo legends Ralph Sampson and Barry Parkhill, the Cavaliers prevailed 85-77 in overtime. "It's all part of it," Bennett said of the swing of emotions from 2018 to 2019. "I wouldn't trade it for anything." A Wisconsin native, Bennett took the UVA job in part because he wanted to test him- self against such ACC coaching luminaries as Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, North Carolina's Roy Williams, Maryland's Gary Williams, Louisville's Rick Pitino and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim. "I wanted to see if I could, with my staff, who's the reason why we've had this suc- cess while we're here, build a program in our unique way to compete against the blue bloods," Bennett said. "I was so intrigued and excited about being at a school that had academic excellence, and where the degree mattered and was important. "And what happened — I hoped but I didn't know — was beyond probably my wildest expectations." 'SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE" College basketball has undergone dra- matic changes since Bennett entered the coaching profession. Name, image and like- ness (NIL) and the transfer portal are now huge parts of the game, and Bennett, 55, grew increasingly uncomfortable in this new landscape. "I'm a square peg in a round hole," he said. "That's what it is. Maybe that's the hard part to admit, but it's OK because, when you tell the truth, there's freedom in that." Bennett considered retiring after the 2023-24 season, but he immersed himself in recruiting and working the transfer portal, and felt re-energized last summer. During UVA's fall break in October, however, Bennett and his wife, Laurel, went out of town and discussed their plans at length. "That's where I came to the realization that I can't do this," Bennett said. "It's not fair to these guys and to this institution that I love so much." And so he chose to walk away, entrust- ing the program to interim head coach Ron Sanchez, with whom Bennett had worked at Washington State and UVA. "I am at peace. When you know in your heart it's time, it's time," Bennett said. "Will I miss the game? Do I love the game? Abso- lutely. But I don't think I'm equipped in this new way to coach, and it's a disservice if you keep doing that. I'm very sure this is the right step. I wish I could have gone longer, I really do, but it's time." His decision rocked the hoops world, and tributes to Bennett, who's revered for his integrity as much as his coaching acumen, poured in. When the news broke, Pitino, who's now at St. John's, tweeted that "col- lege basketball just lost a man with incred- ible class, humility and dignity. Tony Bennett is an awesome teacher of our game." Former Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg told The Roanoke Times that Bennett is "as genuine as they come. There's not an ounce of fraud in him." LAYING THE FOUNDATION Bennett came to UVA from Washington State, where he'd succeeded his father, Dick, a legendary figure in the sport, as head coach. The younger Bennett posted a 69-33 record at Wazzu, with two trips to the NCAA Tournament and one NIT appearance, but did not find immediate success in Char- lottesville. He didn't expect to. From his father, Bennett said, he learned that it was essential to "hire staff and recruit players that you can lose with first before you're going to win. And I've had guys that I've been able to go through the hard stuff with and they stayed true, and the players have, and then when you learn from that After becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2018, Bennett and his team rebounded to post a 35-3 record and capture the national championship the next year. (Photo courtesy UVA) " I wanted to see if I could, with my staff, who's the reason why we've had this success while we're here, build a program in our unique way to compete against the blue bloods." BENNETT ON WHY HE CAME TO VIRGINIA