Tony Bennett has coached the Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball team since 2009. (Photo by Dylan Boyle/Getty Images)
Longtime Virginia men’s basketball coach and 2019 national champion Tony Bennett will retire before the start of the season, the school announced Thursday.
Bennett, who has coached the Cavaliers since 2009, will retire effective immediately. He and Virginia will host a press conference Friday morning to discuss the surprise move. The school did not immediately announce an interim coach or succession plan.
According to multiple media reports, Bennett is not retiring for health-related reasons.
Bennett is responsible for one of the best runs in NCAA Tournament history just one year after suffering one of the biggest upsets ever. In 2018, Virginia entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed and became the first No. 1 seed to lose in the first round to a No. 16 seed when the Cavaliers lost 74–54 to the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Since Virginia’s loss, only one other seed (Purdue in 2023) has been eliminated in the first round.
Virginia returns several key players from that team prior to the 2018-19 season such as Kyle Guy, DeAndre Hunter, and Ty Jerome. The Cavaliers went on to win the ACC regular season title again, and this time, they went 6-0 in the NCAA Tournament en route to the tournament.
The Cavaliers beat Oregon by four in the Sweet 16 and then Purdue by five in the Elite Eight. Virginia then beat Auburn 63-62 in the Final Four when Gay made three free throws with 0.6 seconds left after being fouled on a potential game-winning 3-pointer.
Two days later, Virginia beat Texas Tech 85-77 in the national title game.
Bennett came to Virginia before the 2009-10 season after three years at Washington State. After one trip to the NCAA Tournament in his first four seasons in Charlottesville, Virginia became a fixture atop the ACC in 2014. The Cavaliers won four ACC regular-season titles in six years before winning regular-season titles in 2021 and 2023.
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Virginia’s style of play under Bennett was effective, especially in the regular season. And he was very special. The Cavaliers have consistently played at one of the slowest paces in the country under his watch and played stingy defense. Virginia ranked 210th in the country in points per game the season it won the national title and gave up the fewest points per game of any team in college basketball at 56.1.
While Virginia had consistent regular season success during Bennett’s tenure, NCAA Tournament success was much more difficult to achieve. The 2019 tournament is the only time Virginia has reached the Final Four during his tenure. Since that title, Virginia is 0-3 in its tournament appearances and has failed to advance beyond the first weekend of the tournament in all but three of its 10 appearances under Bennett. Last season, Virginia lost in the first round by 25 points to Colorado State.
By rule, players on Virginia’s roster will have 30 days to enter the transfer portal after Bennett retires. However, they likely don’t have much choice. Most teams’ rosters are being prepared as the season quickly approaches. Virginia’s first game of the 2024-25 season will be against Campbell on Nov. 6.