NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Tony Bennett guided Virginia basketball to the one place it had never reached before. The 2019 National Championship was a high point for the program, but three weeks before a new campaign is set to tip off, Bennett is walking away.
The head coach will officially announce his immediate retirement during a press conference at John Paul Jones Arena Friday morning, according to an athletic department release. The news hit the college basketball world like a ton of bricks Thursday afternoon, including Jeff Jones, a UVA alumnus and former head coach.
"I was shocked, quite honestly," Jones told News 3 via Zoom Thursday night. "I don't know any more than anybody else, but I do hope that he and his family are well."
Jones called the timing of the decision unusual and surprising, adding that all the speculation is not very responsible. He said he had observed Virginia's practice last Friday and had a chance to speak with Bennett.
"He was coaching the team hard, coaching them up and, as you would imagine, very very demanding thinking that they really needed to be better defensively," Jones noted.
The former Old Dominion head coach had plenty of success during his time at UVA, both as a player and coach. As a point guard, he helped the Cavaliers to the 1980 NIT title and the 1981 Final Four. Virginia played in two NCAA Tournaments and two NITs during his college career. After assuming an assistant coaching role at his alma mater, Jones took over as the head coach in 1990, leading the Wahoos to six postseason appearances in eight years, including the 1995 Elite Eight.
What stands out to Jones about Bennett was his ability to get them the 2019 National Championship, the first in program history.
"The school had been to two Final Fours and had some pretty good tradition, but winning the national championship, that's the pinnacle of what you want to accomplish," he said. "He was the guy that did that for UVA."
Jones's son, Jeff, followed in his father's footsteps and suited up for Bennett as a walk-on, but the former Monarch head coach's history with his UVA counterpart dates well before that. He recalled the first time the two spoke, after Bennett got the job at Virginia and asked Jones about assistant coach Jason Williford, who was on Jones's staff at American at the time.
"[Jason] went from my staff at American and hooked up with Tony 16 years ago," recalled Jones. "That's really where I got to know Tony more because of that relationship through Jason Williford more so than through Jeff."
So what's next for UVA after Bennett's abrupt departure? Jones stressed that he did not have any inside information, but he's guessing a current staff member will take over as interim head coach. Ron Sanchez returned to Bennett's staff in 2023 after serving as Charlotte's head coach and Williford is the associate head coach, working alongside Bennett as an assistant since his arrival in 2009.
Jones did add that he thought Rick Carlisle and Dawn Staley are two coaches that deserve consideration if the program eventually seeks a candidate from outside the current staff. Both UVA products, Carlisle is the current head coach of the Indiana Pacers, while Staley has led South Carolina to three national championships.
"What do I know?," he smiled. "I'm not an athletic director, I'm not on the inside there, but just as an outsider and a UVA basketball alum, those were two names that did pop into my head."
As for the immediate future, Jones said that this season's Cavaliers have potential. He noted that they are a big, strong, physical team that still has some growing to do in terms of chemistry and figuring out the playing style, but can get the job done with work if they can navigate through Bennett's departure.
"They've got a chance to be good, but this will be a little bit of adversity that they're going to have to deal with," Jones said. "The staff, the players, everybody's going to have to come together and pick one another up and deal with what I'm sure was a shock to all of them, as well."
Sports Illustrated and ESPN are both reporting that Bennett's decision to retire is not health related. He walks away as UVA's all-time leader in wins with 364. In addition to the 2019 national title, he led the Cavaliers to two ACC Tournament titles and six regular season crowns. He guided the program to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances and was named ACC Coach of the Year on four occasions. Bennett is also a three-time National Coach of the Year.
Bennett's retirement press conference will begin at 11:00 AM. You can view the event here.
