Virginia coach Tony Bennett explains sudden resignation

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Tony Bennett described himself as “a square peg in a round hole,” said through tears Friday suddenly retired from coaching in Virginia because he was unable to navigate the current landscape College basketball.

Bennett — dressed in his signature suit-no-tie look — told those in attendance at his news conference that name, image and likeness money, as well as the transfer portal, had brought elements to the job that he was “not particularly good at.”

“I looked at myself and realized I was no longer the best coach to lead this program,” Bennett said, with athletic director Carla Williams sitting next to him. “If you want to make it, you have to be all in. You have to have everything. And if you do it half-heartedly, it's not fair to the university and these young men. That’s what made me resign.”

Bennett led Virginia to the National Championship 2019 a year after the Cavaliers became the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed in the NCAA tournament.

He is the youngest – and, at 55, the youngest – high-profile coach to bow out, citing a degree of burnout given the modern realities of the profession. That list includes former Villanova coach Jay Wright, who retired two years ago at 60.

“Games and college athletics are not doing well,” Bennett said. “And there has to be change. I think I was equipped to do the work here the old way. That's how I am and that's how it was. My staff gave me the push I needed to get to this point, but something has to change.”

Former assistant Ron Sanchez, who returned to the program last season, will take over as interim coach. Williams said a nationwide search for Bennett's replacement will begin soon, but Bennett is confident Sanchez will perform well to get the full-time position.

Williams said Bennett told her about his decision Wednesday morning, although she noted the two had spoken about the possibility occasionally over the past three years.

“I think he's up for the job, but as he told you all, he has to put his whole heart into it,” said Williams, her cheeks still stained with the tears she shed during Bennett's remarks . “He's the embodiment of humility because he could go on like this without putting his whole heart into it, but it takes more courage to say, 'I'm not the person for that.'”

As for the stunning timing of his retirement, less than three weeks before the team's home opener against Campbell on Nov. 6, Bennett said he seriously considered retiring immediately after ending last season with a First Four loss to Colorado State ended in Dayton, Ohio.

The Cavaliers struggled offensively in this game and haven't won an NCAA Tournament game since the 2019 title game.

But because the current recruiting calendar required him to immediately get to work evaluating possible transfers, Bennett said he never took the time to think about his situation.

He said he was excited about the players the program signed, the new offense he was implementing and the prospects for the upcoming season. He therefore felt motivated enough to sign a long-term contract extension with Virginia, although he acknowledged that it was unlikely that he would have lasted the entire term of the contract, which expired in six years.

Then there was finally a break in his hectic schedule. He and his wife, Laurel, took a trip during U-Va's fall break. a trip to give the couple a chance to process and think about the future.

“That’s when I kind of realized I couldn’t do this,” Bennett said, overcome with emotion. “It’s not fair to these people and this institution that I love so much to move on when you know you’re not the right person for the job.”

Bennett's current players and staff stood in the back of the room Friday and listened as he spoke.

“I’m happy for him,” said former player Isaiah Wilkins, now an assistant coach. “I see he is at peace. I think he knows himself well and it’s obviously a family decision.”

Under the watchful eye of former Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage, who hired Bennett, Bennett spoke of his pride in the way he and his staff have built the Cavaliers into one of the most successful programs in the country. Littlepage hired Bennett in 2009 after three strong seasons at Washington State.

After a 15-16 record in his first season at Virginia, Bennett went on to 14 straight winning seasons.

He posted a 364-136 mark at the school and led the program to two Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament titles, six ACC regular season championships and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. Bennett was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019.

“I couldn’t have imagined in 15 years what it would be like,” Littlepage said. “I thought more short-term. “We need to get this thing going and we knew it would take a few years.”…He had the pedigree. He had the understanding of the college game. He got to know the University of Virginia in a short time. There was no doubt he would succeed.”

Bennett has long been ridiculed by many in the national media for his unusually slow pace of play and his defense-first, second-and-third mentality. Bennett's first-round NCAA Tournament loss to UMBC in 2018 gave his critics plenty of offense and sparked a chorus that questioned whether his pack-line defense was designed to win championships.

Bennett handled the defeat with characteristic grace, promising his heartbroken players that it would be “a ticket to a place they couldn't go without it.”

The following season, after a dramatic run through the NCAA Tournament, Bennett and the Cavaliers swept the Nets in Minneapolis after leading Texas Tech to win the school's first national title.

“I've been here as head coach for 15 years and honestly I thought it would take a little longer, but this was on loan,” Bennett said. “It wasn’t my job to keep it. This position was on loan and it’s time for me to give it back.”

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