UVA Tony Bennett: Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball head coach abruptly announces retirement

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WTVD) – The basketball coach of the national champion Virginia Cavaliers abruptly announced his retirement weeks before the season.

Tony Bennett has led the Virginia men’s basketball team since 2009. He has won 364 games and lost just 136.

The program said Thursday that Bennett will announce his retirement at a news conference on Friday. No reason was given for Bennett’s abrupt departure.

His program has been one of the most successful programs in the country for the past 15 years.

The Cavaliers have finished atop the regular-season ACC standings six times in that span. The team has won the ACC title twice and hoisted the NCAA championship trophy at the end of the 2018-2019 season. He was named National Coach of the Year three times and ACC Coach of the Year in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is one of the top college basketball conferences in the country. However, the conference has gone through a lot of turmoil in recent years, with several Hall of Fame coaches retiring from major programs.

Jim Boheim retired in 2023 after 47 years leading the Syracuse Orange.

Mike Krzyzewski retired in 2022 after 42 seasons leading the Duke Blue Devils.

Roy Williams retired in 2001 after 33 years of coaching at Kansas and North Carolina.

These three coaches are the winningest coaches in NCAA men’s basketball history.