Tony Bennett retires

[dtl5g]

With due respect that's an arrogant take. Yes he could do it for one more season. He "could do it" for five more seasons probably. That is NOT THE STANDARD. He said, and we should take him at his word, that he was no longer the right person to coach UVa. If you don't think you are THE MAN to coach a team, you should not coach the team. If you've ever coached, you understand that. Coaching at this level is not about "trying hard" or even "giving it your all" - if you don't believe with a passion that the job should be yours.....you cannot bring to it what it requires.

Also, this is all very disrespectful of the current UVa staff and players......like we're trying to protect all of them from the life changing horror of Bennett retiring. Do we hear ourselves???

Speculation from many Virginia fans has been that the timing was done to give Ron Sanchez a chance to prove himself as interim coach. Tony was set up in a good situation at Washington state and essentially handed a head coaching job he wouldn’t have gotten otherwise by his father. He clearly wanted to pay it forward with having one of his assistants replace him and had remarked as such many times. Unfortunately, the Uva athletic director had nixed any sort of “coach in waiting” or succession plan.

Had he retired in March/April after the season ended, no matter what year it is, the AD would have had to make a permanent 3-4 year hire so that the new coach would be able to recruit the portal and high school players and/or current players to stay. If that is an outside coach, which it appears likely it would have been after a national search, then we are looking at a total rebuild with pretty much all new players and coaches and we are probably back to NC state level mediocrity at best at least at first.

We can’t compete with the big boys in NIL money and we have significant portal issues relating to qualifying academically, transfer credits and being able to graduate from Uva as a transfer (warley who transferred to Uva this year is not going to be able to and has to use his Virginia credits from his time here to send back to Florida state and he will graduate there). Even with Tony here, we did not get five star recruits, and did not recruit very well by the numbers until he was well established here. What he was able to do here was not easy and not any coach can do it when they are starting from scratch. In fact no other Uva coach prior to tony was ever able to come close. Four years of Ralph Sampson was as close as we ever got to this level of success.

Long story short, if we don’t leverage our brand and continue the program that Bennett built, we likely can’t come close to continuing to be the third best program in the ACC and sometimes challenging Duke and unc as the number one program on a given year.

Tony notably said on the first day of the job back in 2009 that he “wants to build something that lasts.” What he meant by that is that it lasts beyond his stay here.

My understanding of Duke’s situation is coach K basically handpicked Scheyer as his successor and the AD did not go out and interview guys like calipari and chris beard and Scott drew before settling on scheyer. If that had been the plan, and the duke AD refused to commit to hiring Ks successor and basically said they would take it into consideration but would make no promises, would anyone here have been surprised had coach k retired in October when an outside hire would be impossible so that Scheyer would at least be able to audition for the job by taking over the team for one season?

Tony did not get to pick his successor with the backing If the athletic department, and quite frankly the Uva bball program is in a more precarious situation than Duke’s was. No matter whom duke hires and how badly they fail, the program will remain a behemoth in the sport and you can just hire a new guy and move on. Not so with Uva. If we screw this hire up, we will be back to the years of making the tournament once every five years and it will be hard to climb out of that for a number of reasons.

The players like Ron Sanchez, he was the lead recruiter for many of them, and he had already taken over many day to day operations of the team. You can spin it that Bennett is screwing over his players but what do you think the players would rather have done - continuity from a coaching staff they are comfortable with with just the leader being replaced, or an entirely new staff that you have no relationship with and may not fit in terms of personality or playing style and where you may not be welcome and likely will have to portal somewhere else?

If ron Sanchez exceeds what are fairly modest preseason expectations this season, and it looks like there won’t be a rush to the portal from the guys we have going into next year, he is likely to get hired on a four year deal or more in the spring. To do otherwise would be very bold from our AD whereas it would not have been bold to go with an outside hire had Ron not been given that chance. Much of UVAs fan base is angered by this and wants an outside hire, by the way (they don’t believe Ron Sanchez is qualified or as good as other coaches - I am not part of that group btw).

Because we only graduate two players after this season - taine Murray and jalen warley - and are poised to have a very talented and experienced roster for 2025-26 that would be reminiscent of some of the old Bennett teams and it is unlikely the AD and big donors would want to throw that away just to hire an outside coach to start from scratch that had coaching success somewhere else, but for as to whom there is no idea whether they can compete with duke and Carolina and others in the acc.

 

[PackMan97]

The *facts* aren't the same. So, yeah. No.

All these subsequent paeans to his noble decision to put family first are great; I'd agree with them if he hadn't, apparently blithely, done this in late October.

I never said the *facts* were the same. Just the arguments.

 

[PackMan97]

we are probably back to NC state level mediocrity at best at least at first.

Right...cuz who wants to win an ACC Title and go to an NCAA Final Four?

 

[DavidBenAkiva]

Speculation from many Virginia fans has been that the timing was done to give Ron Sanchez a chance to prove himself as interim coach. Tony was set up in a good situation at Washington state and essentially handed a head coaching job he wouldn’t have gotten otherwise by his father. He clearly wanted to pay it forward with having one of his assistants replace him and had remarked as such many times. Unfortunately, the Uva athletic director had nixed any sort of “coach in waiting” or succession plan.

Had he retired in March/April after the season ended, no matter what year it is, the AD would have had to make a permanent 3-4 year hire so that the new coach would be able to recruit the portal and high school players and/or current players to stay. If that is an outside coach, which it appears likely it would have been after a national search, then we are looking at a total rebuild with pretty much all new players and coaches and we are probably back to NC state level mediocrity at best at least at first.

We can’t compete with the big boys in NIL money and we have significant portal issues relating to qualifying academically, transfer credits and being able to graduate from Uva as a transfer (warley who transferred to Uva this year is not going to be able to and has to use his Virginia credits from his time here to send back to Florida state and he will graduate there). Even with Tony here, we did not get five star recruits, and did not recruit very well by the numbers until he was well established here. What he was able to do here was not easy and not any coach can do it when they are starting from scratch. In fact no other Uva coach prior to tony was ever able to come close. Four years of Ralph Sampson was as close as we ever got to this level of success.

Long story short, if we don’t leverage our brand and continue the program that Bennett built, we likely can’t come close to continuing to be the third best program in the ACC and sometimes challenging Duke and unc as the number one program on a given year.

Tony notably said on the first day of the job back in 2009 that he “wants to build something that lasts.” What he meant by that is that it lasts beyond his stay here.

My understanding of Duke’s situation is coach K basically handpicked Scheyer as his successor and the AD did not go out and interview guys like calipari and chris beard and Scott drew before settling on scheyer. If that had been the plan, and the duke AD refused to commit to hiring Ks successor and basically said they would take it into consideration but would make no promises, would anyone here have been surprised had coach k retired in October when an outside hire would be impossible so that Scheyer would at least be able to audition for the job by taking over the team for one season?

Tony did not get to pick his successor with the backing If the athletic department, and quite frankly the Uva bball program is in a more precarious situation than Duke’s was. No matter whom duke hires and how badly they fail, the program will remain a behemoth in the sport and you can just hire a new guy and move on. Not so with Uva. If we screw this hire up, we will be back to the years of making the tournament once every five years and it will be hard to climb out of that for a number of reasons.

The players like Ron Sanchez, he was the lead recruiter for many of them, and he had already taken over many day to day operations of the team. You can spin it that Bennett is screwing over his players but what do you think the players would rather have done - continuity from a coaching staff they are comfortable with with just the leader being replaced, or an entirely new staff that you have no relationship with and may not fit in terms of personality or playing style?

If ron Sanchez exceeds what are fairly modest preseason expectations this season, and it looks like there won’t be a rush to the portal from the guys we have going into next year, he is likely to get hired on a four year deal or more in the spring. To do otherwise would be very bold from our AD whereas it leaks not have been bold to go with someone else had Ron not been given that chance.

Because we only graduate two players after this season - taine Murray and jalen warley - and are poised to have a very talented and experienced roster for 2025-26 that would be reminiscent of some of the old Bennett teams and it is unlikely the AD and big donors would want to throw that away just to hire an outside coach to start from scratch that had coaching success somewhere else, but for as to whom there is no idea whether they can compete with duke and Carolina and others in the acc.

This is super helpful context, if true. I've been struggling to line up the words that Bennett has shared with the timing of the announcement. This provides a somewhat rational explanation. On the other hand, it really puts Sanchez in a tough spot. He has to make the NCAA Tournament and probably win a game there to give himself a solid shot at getting the job full time. Perhaps Sanchez wouldn't have had an opportunity in the first place had Bennett not forced the issue.

 

[PackMan97]

Perhaps Sanchez wouldn't have had an opportunity in the first place had Bennett not forced the issue.

Certainly not at UVa.

 

[dtl5g]

Right...cuz who wants to win an ACC Title and go to an NCAA Final Four?

Perhaps I should have said Boston college. But I was looking for a team that usually finishes around .500 in the acc. And again, I said “at best” which implies the actual results would very likely be worse than that. Either way, the last ten years at Uva have been a lot better than the last ten years at nc state so I would prefer to keep what we have going then have what nc states results have been becoming our ceiling.

 

[dtl5g]

This is super helpful context, if true. I've been struggling to line up the words that Bennett has shared with the timing of the announcement. This provides a somewhat rational explanation. On the other hand, it really puts Sanchez in a tough spot. He has to make the NCAA Tournament and probably win a game there to give himself a solid shot at getting the job full time. Perhaps Sanchez wouldn't have had an opportunity in the first place had Bennett not forced the issue.

Getting a one year audition with a pretty good roster and low expectations (we did not get a single top 25 vote in the preseason poll and the computers say we are like the 68th-85th best team in college bball) is a lot better than being told to remove your personal effects from your office and good luck with the job search which is pretty much what the alternative was.

 

[evrim]

I find myself coming around to the Pat Forde perspective on Bennett's exit. From a WPo article:

Bennett considered retiring after last season, but his concerns quickly turned to excitement as the coaching staff recruited well during the offseason. The competitor in him took over again. But during a recent trip over Virginia’s fall break, Bennett spent time alone with his wife, Laurel. At the Tides Inn, Bennett gained clarity. He wanted more time with his loved ones. He wanted to be a better husband, father, son, brother and friend. He could keep fighting change in college basketball, but he was most passionate about investing in his personal life. He remembered a quote from the late Christian missionary Jim Elliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Honestly sounds like he decided his personal life needed to be worked on. If so, that is not in my opinion a justifiable reason for leaving when he did. Personally I don't think anything other than family emergency justifies jumping ship like this. But certainly not an epiphany that he's been neglecting his personal life.

Wow. The Pat Forde take was really gross, and unfair and now Duke folks are following that despicable person? it is insane that of all people, Duke folks are doing this.

 

[evrim]

Right...cuz who wants to win an ACC Title and go to an NCAA Final Four?

Once every how many years? I was supporting NC State but after seeing how their fans reacted, I am not sure if I would ever feel the same again.

 

[dtl5g]

Wow. The Pat Forde take was really gross, and unfair and now Duke folks are following that despicable person? it is insane that of all people, Duke folks are doing this.

He is despicable and intellectually dishonest. He published an article after the umbc loss calling Bennett a “towering fraud” and basically saying bennett and Uva would never be able to win in march and everything else negative you can think of about the program. He has gone after Bennett and our program many times in other contexts and doesn’t ever seem to have a kind word to say.

Chris graham is very much echoing the thoughts of most Uva fans with that editorial column. His point that given the same retirement timing, he extolled and glorified dean smith while slagging Bennett is well taken by me and there’s just no reason for it. Bennett is a clear example of good in college basketball regardless of what you think about our playing style.

 

[PackMan97]

Once every how many years? I was supporting NC State but after seeing how their fans reacted, I am not sure if I would ever feel the same again.

Once out of the last one years.

 

[evrim]

Also quite possible that his wife saw in him things that he didn't want to see and such a weekend of heart to heart brought him about. I know I had to be called out on some stuff that I stubbornly stayed in/part of too long. I was the manager of my soccer team for years and even though it became a money losing "job", I stayed in it to not let my players down (some of whom bolted without notice many times last minute), and due to my competitiveness. And I wasn't even being paid millions or on national tv etc.

Give the guy a break. Some of you are really hollier than thou, and tarnishing a man who has never done anything negative I could think of.

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

 

[phaedrus]

Perhaps I should have said Boston college. But I was looking for a team that usually finishes around .500 in the acc. And again, I said “at best” which implies the actual results would very likely be worse than that. Either way, the last ten years at Uva have been a lot better than the last ten years at nc state so I would prefer to keep what we have going then have what nc states results have been becoming our ceiling

NC State probably has been the third-best ACC program, at least if you start somewhere around the beginning of the 64-team era, and BC in its short history has been one of the worst - worse than mediocre.

For true unremarkable mediocrity, I'd go with Georgia Tech or Florida State.

 

[dtl5g]

Also quite possible that his wife saw in him things that he didn't want to see and such a weekend of heart to heart brought him about. I know I had to be called out on some stuff that I stubbornly stayed in/part of too long. I was the manager of my soccer team for years and even though it became a money losing "job", I stayed in it to not let my players down (some of whom bolted without notice many times last minute), and due to my competitiveness. And I wasn't even being paid millions or on national tv etc.

Give the guy a break. Some of you are really hollier than thou, and tarnishing a man who has never done anything negative I could think of.

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

Colllege bball coach is pretty much a 355 day out of the year job these days. There are almost no breaks if you want to be competitive in recruiting at a place not named duke, who gets to “select” more than be forced to “recruit”.

Bennett has been getting only one short vacation a year with his wife and kids and has only been seeing his 81 year old parents in person about once a year because the responsibilities of the job prevents him from seeing them more. Now he can do whatever he wants. Life is about more than making money and winning championships and/or satisfying the desires of a fanbase or college athletic department.

He is tired and wants to hand it off. It’s not that complicated and he knew he would be criticized for the timing of this but also knew it that by doing it this way it would leave the program, his staff, and the players in the best possible spot to succeed in the future imo. You never are going to make everyone happy with decisions like these but he did his best to balance all the competing interests.

 

[dtl5g]

NC State probably has been the third-best ACC program, at least if you start somewhere around the beginning of the 64-team era, and BC in its short history has been one of the worst - worse than mediocre.

For true unremarkable mediocrity, I'd go with Georgia Tech or Florida State.

Yeah I am aware nc state has a storied history and was a kid and rooting for them when valvano won that natty. Was more referring to their recent form and didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about it. Georgia tech sounds better. Too late to edit it tho.

 

[PackMan97]

BC in its short history has been one of the worst - worse than mediocre.

I disagree. I present exhibit A:

The defense rests.

 

[SlapTheFloor]

Also quite possible that his wife saw in him things that he didn't want to see and such a weekend of heart to heart brought him about. I know I had to be called out on some stuff that I stubbornly stayed in/part of too long. I was the manager of my soccer team for years and even though it became a money losing "job", I stayed in it to not let my players down (some of whom bolted without notice many times last minute), and due to my competitiveness. And I wasn't even being paid millions or on national tv etc.

Give the guy a break. Some of you are really hollier than thou, and tarnishing a man who has never done anything negative I could think of.

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

What exactly would I be judged for? I don't think my workplace is going to offer me a six year contract.

The context, although speculative, that dtl5g added was helpful. I'm sure Tony feels a lot of loyalty to his assistant coach. I just wonder how players like TJ Power feel about it. I find it hard to believe that the prospect of playing for Tony Bennett wasn't a large part of his decision to go to UVa. Is it ok for him to decide for them that they'll be just fine under Ron Sanchez?

 

[dtl5g]

What exactly would I be judged for? I don't think my workplace is going to offer me a six year contract.

The context, although speculative, that dtl5g added was helpful. I'm sure Tony feels a lot of loyalty to his assistant coach. I just wonder how players like TJ Power feel about it. I find it hard to believe that the prospect of playing for Tony Bennett wasn't a large part of his decision to go to UVa. Is it ok for him to decide for them that they'll be just fine under Ron Sanchez?

Well whenever he decides to step down he will be doing someone a disservice. And until that happens, he has to continue to recruit kids or he is doing everyone involved a disservice. Did TJ Power commit solely to Bennett or the lead recruiter of him, Orlando vandross and the rest of the staff? It’s not like over the next six months bennett’s fingerprints and influence won’t be all over the program. Many kids commit here for the development aspect as we send lots of guys to the nba who you wouldn’t think would have a chance when they get here. So is it better to give TJ a chance for three development years here in the program he committed to, or one year of tony Bennett and then portal out somewhere else because Tony retires in April 2025 and the Uva AD hires someone who doesn’t know TJ and doesn’t care about his development in the same way.

Recruits were starting to ask bennett about the chance of retirement (because there have been rumors about it for years especially since Ron Sanchez took a big pay cut to ditch his head coaching job after the programs best season in twenty years to come back to Uva as an assistant) and there was some negative recruiting about it from other coaches, and he had to have answers for them. It probably was fairly noncommittal like when he gets asked about freshman playing time. If he has a reputation for anything it is being honest with his players and not overselling things.

 

[jv001]

Also quite possible that his wife saw in him things that he didn't want to see and such a weekend of heart to heart brought him about. I know I had to be called out on some stuff that I stubbornly stayed in/part of too long. I was the manager of my soccer team for years and even though it became a money losing "job", I stayed in it to not let my players down (some of whom bolted without notice many times last minute), and due to my competitiveness. And I wasn't even being paid millions or on national tv etc.

Give the guy a break. Some of you are really hollier than thou, and tarnishing a man who has never done anything negative I could think of.

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

That's His Word. Matthew 7 verse 1.

 

[bluedevilwildcats]

Can the religious folks please keep that out of this thread? Thank you.

I think there are shades of gray on the timing of this, the justification used, as well as possibly pre-empting your boss on a hiring decision that belongs to them, not you. But all I care about is the players. If by and large they don't feel misled and are excited to start the season under a new coach, let's move on.