Today Virginia basketball and college basketball in general received some news we hoped was much further off. Legendary Virginia Basketball coach Tony Bennett has decided to retire. It will be official tomorrow.
What a career it’s been for Tony Bennett
433 career wins
2x Naismith Coach of the Year
4x ACC Coach of the Year
2019 National ChampionVirginia legend pic.twitter.com/VpmxoDSvJ3
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) October 17, 2024
Without knowing exactly why he is retiring, the prevailing thought is that it is because of the changing college athletics landscape. More and more quality coaches are leaving the coaching industry before we expect for this very reason. That’s not a good thing. The sport is lesser without a guy like Bennett on the sidelines. Virginia wasn’t the ACC team I rooted for, but I was a fan of Tony Bennett the coach, and what he stood for. He did things the right way.
Here are some of my favorite articles at the blog about Tony Bennett.
February 3, 2024 – Don’t ever underestimate Tony Bennett and Virginia.
April 2, 2020 – Who is the best ACC basketball coach of the past decade? | answered by @MattZemek
March 31, 2019 – Tony Bennett and Virginia silence their March critics.
March 31, 2019 – Method to the Madness — Virginia’s style meant as much as its victory
January 20, 2018 – Time to appreciate what Virginia basketball can do on defense.
