Virginia's stalwart national-title-winning head coach has retired less than a month before the start of college basketball season.
Tony Bennett, who's coached the Cavaliers for 15 years, will announce he is stepping down on Friday at 11 a.m.
BREAKING: Tony Bennett to announce his immediate retirement in a press conference on Friday at 11 a.m. pic.twitter.com/jw9HYtyYaq
— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) October 17, 2024
Bennett has amassed a career record of 433-169 between three seasons coaching Washington State from 2006 through 2009 and 15 campaigns in charge of Virginia from 2009 through 2024. A school-record 364 of those wins came with the Cavaliers.
When Bennett took over in 2009, Virginia was fresh off a 10-18 season and hadn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2007. Bennett brought the Cavaliers back to the Big Dance in 2012, the first of 10 appearances in his final 13 years coaching the program.
Virginia won the NCAA championship in 2019 and made four total Sweet 16s under Bennett. His retirement comes as a surprise as the Cavaliers play their first game of the 2024-25 campaign in 20 days. His decision is not due to any health crisis, per CBS Sports reporter Matt Norlander.
Source says Tony Bennett's retirement is not health-related (thankfully). Have been told he still wants to be involved in college athletics and wants to work through solutions to ease some of the issues that led him to his retirement decision.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) October 17, 2024
Virginia assistant coach Ron Sanchez is the leading candidate to replace Bennett. The Cavaliers open their season against Campbell on Nov. 6.
