Tony Bennett’s retirement comes at brutal time for Virginia

A news conference is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. ET, when Bennett may share more details and/or reasoning behind his sudden retirement. What’s immediately clear, however, is this is a challenging time for a coaching change.

Bennett is a two-time Associated Press Coach of the Year and posted a career 364-136 record at Virginia. His .728 win percentage is tied for the highest in program history and his 500 career games as Virginia head coach are the most, one more than former head coach Terry Holland (1975-90).

Virginia is coming off a disappointing end to the 2023-24 season. Due to a horrific offensive performance, it lost to Colorado State in the Round of 68 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

The Cavaliers scored 42 points, including 14 in the first half, while shooting 25 percent for the game.

Since Bennett led the program to its only NCAA championship in 2019, Virginia has fallen behind the ACC’s elite, Associated Press No. 7 Duke and No. 9 North Carolina.

Now the Cavaliers must stabilize their coaching staff and roster just 20 days before tipping off the 2024-25 season on Nov. 6 against Campbell.

Per On3’s Pete Nakos, Bennett’s decision opened a 30-day transfer portal window for Virginia players.

Virginia is 56th in 247 Sports’ 2024 team recruiting rankings and the program failed to register a vote in the AP’s preseason rankings.

The Cavaliers were already facing an uphill battle to be a contender this year. But Bennett’s decision could sink the season before it begins.

Following a March loss to Colorado State, Bennett discussed Virginia’s recent shortcomings, including first-round NCAA Tournament losses to Ohio and Furman in 2021 and 2023, respectively.

“It’s stung to get to this point and not advance. We’ve got to look at things from a system standpoint,” Bennett said. (h/t NCAA.com). 

“We gotta get the right pieces in place,” he added.

Now, less than a month before the 2024-25 season begins, Virginia is missing its most important one.