The news of Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett’s abrupt retirement shocked the college basketball world on Thursday.
On Friday, the 55-year-old head coach held a press conference to explain further the shocking decision to retire just two weeks before the season begins.
In short, Bennett’s decision resulted from his heart not being in the game anymore.
“I realized I’m no longer the best coach to lead this program in the current environment. If you’re going to do it, you’ve got to be all-in. You have to give everything. If you do it half-hearted, it’s not fair to the university and those young men. That’s what made me step away,” the two-time AP Coach of the Year said.
Some, including fellow coaching great Jim Boeheim, have commended Bennett’s decision, saying that NIL has led to major problems in college athletics.
Jim Boeheim to @TheFieldOf68 on Tony Bennett retiring: “We lost one of our great coaches solely because of the landscape that is college basketball. Our leadership has to stop focusing on how much money we can make and find a way to get the student athletes on board with an…
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) October 17, 2024
Bennett faced criticism for retiring so close to the start of the season. However, the head coach said he didn’t decide recently.
“It wasn’t until fall break where my wife and I went away and just kind of processed what the future would be. And that’s where I came to the realization that I can’t do this. It’s not fair to these guys, to this institution I love so much, to continue on where you know you’re not the right guy for the job,” Bennett said.
Bennett went 364-136 in his 15 seasons with Virginia. He went 69-33 in three seasons with the Washington State Cougars before taking the Virginia job. He finishes with a career record of 433-169 and 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, one of which resulted in an NCAA Championship (2019).
Longtime Virginia assistant and former Charlotte 49ers coach Ron Sanchez will coach the Cavaliers this season.
Virginia opens its season against the Campbell Camels on November 6.
[WUSA 9]
