Former Virginia men’s basketball head coach and 2019 national champion Tony Bennett will retire before the start of the season, the school announced Thursday.
Bennett, who has coached the Cavaliers since 2009, is retiring effective immediately. He and Virginia will host a news conference Friday morning to discuss the sudden move. The school did not immediately announce an interim coach or a succession plan.
According to multiple media reports, Bennett will not retire due to health reasons.
Bennett is responsible for one of the best runs in NCAA tournament history, just a year after suffering one of the biggest setbacks ever. In 2018, Virginia entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed and became the first top seed to lose in the first round to a No. 16 seed when the Cavaliers lost 74–54 to the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Since losing to Virginia, only one other No. 1 seed (Purdue in 2023) has been eliminated in the first round.
Virginia brought back many key players from that team prior to the 2018-19 season, such as Kyle Guy, De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome. The Cavaliers went on to win the ACC regular season title again, and this time they went 6-0 in the NCAA Tournament en route to a championship.
The Cavaliers defeated Oregon by four in the Sweet 16 and then beat Purdue by five in the Elite Eight. Virginia then defeated Auburn 63-62 in the Final Four when Guy made three free throws with 0.6 seconds left after fouling a potential game-winning 3-pointer.
Two days later, Virginia defeated Texas Tech 85-77 in the national title game.
Bennett came to Virginia prior to the 2009-10 season after three years at Washington State. After one trip to the NCAA Tournament in his first four seasons in Charlottesville, Virginia became a fixture atop the ACC in 2014. The Cavaliers won four ACC regular-season titles in six years before winning regular-season titles in 2021 and 2023.
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Virginia’s playing style under Bennett was effective, especially in the regular season. And it was very recognizable. The Cavaliers have consistently played at one of the slowest tempos in the country and stingy defense under his watch. Virginia was 210th in the nation in points per game the season it won the national title and gave up the fewest points per game of any team in college basketball at 56.1.
Although Virginia had consistent regular season success during Bennett’s tenure, NCAA Tournament success was much more difficult to come by. The 2019 tournament marks the only time Virginia made the Final Four during his tenure. Since that title, Virginia is 0-3 in its tournament appearances, failing to advance past the tournament’s first weekend in all but three of its 10 games under Bennett. Last season, Virginia lost to Colorado State by 25 points in the First Four.
Normally, players on Virginia’s roster have 30 days to enter the transfer portal following Bennett’s retirement. However, they probably don’t have many options. Most teams’ rosters are being finalized with the season approaching so quickly. Virginia’s first game of the 2024-2025 season is Nov. 6 against Campbell.
