 Bennett at theBarclays Center in2014–15 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1969-06-01)June 1, 1969 (age 56) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Preble (Green Bay, Wisconsin) |
| College | Green Bay (1988–1992) |
| NBA draft | 1992: 2nd round, 35th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Charlotte Hornets |
| Playing career | 1992–1997 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 25 |
| Coaching career | 1998–2024 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1992–1995 | Charlotte Hornets |
| 1996–1997 | North Harbour Vikings |
Coaching | |
| 1998–1999 | North Harbour Kings |
| 1999–2003 | Wisconsin (assistant) |
| 2003–2004 | Washington State (assistant) |
| 2004–2006 | Washington State (associate HC) |
| 2006–2009 | Washington State |
| 2009–2024 | Virginia |
| Career highlights | |
As player:
As head coach:
| |
| Career playing statistics | |
| Points | 538 (3.5 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 135 (1.0 rpg) |
| Assists | 303 (2.0 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Career coaching record | |
| NCAA | 433–169 (.719) |
Anthony Guy Bennett (born June 1, 1969) is an American former professionalbasketball player and college basketball coach. From 2009 to 2024, he was the head coach of theUniversity of Virginia men's team, with whom he won theNCAA Championship in2019.[2] Bennett is a three-time recipient of theHenry Iba Award, two-timeNaismith College Coach of the Year, and two-timeAP Coach of the Year. He is one of three coaches in history (withDean Smith andMike Krzyzewski) to lead his program to 10 or more consecutive winning ACC records[a][3][4]—retiring with a streak of 13—and is one of three coaches (also with Smith and Krzyzewski) to be namedACC Coach of the Year four or more times.[5] He coached 500 games at Virginia, winning 364 (72.8%) of them, edging outPop Lannigan (72.7%) to hold Virginia's highest winning percentage in school history; he also holds that record atWashington State (winning 67.6%). He is the all-time wins leader at Virginia and holds or shares the single-season wins record at both UVA and WSU. He led the Virginia program to two of its threeACC Tournament championships and one of its threeFinal Four appearances.
As a 5'11"point guard, Bennett ranks first in NCAA history for careerthree-point field goal accuracy at 49.7%, shooting above 50% from range in both hisjunior andsenior seasons.[6][7] He started for theUnited States national team at the1991 Pan American Games, was awarded theFrances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation's top player under six feet tall, and was namedAcademic All-American of the Year.[6] Bennett starred for theGreen Bay Phoenix under his father,Dick Bennett, who later tookWisconsin to the2000 Final Four using an earlier version of the packline defense Bennett perfected at Virginia.
Bennett played three years in the NBA for theCharlotte Hornets and after an injury, several more professionally inAustralia andNew Zealand where he started coaching.[8] He since coached several players at the college level who've gone on to be known for shooting prowess in the NBA, such asMalcolm Brogdon (eighth50–40–90 shooter in NBA history),Joe Harris (led NBA in three-point accuracyin 2018–19 andin 2020–21) andKlay Thompson (one-half of theSplash Brothers). Both Harris and Thompson have won theThree-Point Contest at theNBA All-Star Game.[9][10] His playerTrey Murphy III recorded the onlycollege50–40–90 season from any ACC team.[11]
Originally inheriting the worst Virginia team by record since 1967, his Cavalier squads had four 30-win seasons, won theNCAA tournament championship with a 35–3 teamin 2019, won ACC tournamentsin 2014 andin 2018, and won or shared 6 ACC regular season titles. Known for coaching defensive intensity, Bennett was ranked the top defensive coach incollege basketball by aCBS Sports poll of head coaches in 2015 and byESPN Insider in 2018.[12][13][14] The defensive style of basketball he taught at UVA was often compared to aboa constrictor choking out opponents,[15][16][17][18] and his teams were also known for their unselfish play and tempo control.[19][20][21]
Bennett, apoint guard, played for his fatherDick Bennett at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Green Bay (UWGB) following his high school career atStevens Point Area Senior High School andPreble High School. The Bennetts led thePhoenix to anNCAA tournament berth and two appearances in theNIT. During his time there, theGreen Bay Phoenix had a record of 87–34 (.719) en route to Bennett being twice named as the conference's Player of the Year. He was awarded theFrances Pomeroy Naismith Award given to the nation's most outstanding senior under six feet tall and was named the 1992 GTE Academic All-American of the year. He also started for a bronze medal-winning 1991Pan-American Games team led byGene Keady. He finished his collegiate career as theMid-Continent Conference's all-time leader in points (2,285) and assists (601), and still ranks as the entire NCAA's all-time leader in 3-point field goal accuracy.[7] He made 80 of 150 (53.3%)three-point field goal attempts in his junior season and repeated the feat of hitting over half of his three-point attempts during his senior season, making 95 of 186 (51.1%).[22] He was also incredibly accurate on two-point field goal attempts for a guard, connecting on 502 of 917 (54.7%) two-point attempts for his college career.[22]
Bennett went on to be selected in the1992 NBA draft by theCharlotte Hornets. He spent three seasons (1992–1995) with steadily increasing playing time for the Hornets as the backup point guard toMuggsy Bogues (the Hornets' all-time leader inassists andsteals) before a foot injury ended Bennett'sNBA career. With an eye toward returning to the NBA, Bennett left for Australia in 1996 to play for theSydney Kings of Australia'sNational Basketball League whilerehabbing his ankle but the contract fell through[23] within ten days[24] of arriving and Bennett soon moved to New Zealand to briefly play for a team called the "Burger King Kings" inAuckland.[25] Bennett has joked that the team was paid inWhoppers.[25] He then joined theNorth Harbour Vikings, became its star player, and in his second year there became a dual-role player and head coach.[26] He completed his playing career as a two-timeNew Zealand NBL All-Star Five honoree and a two-time Keith Carr Trophy winner for being the league'sMost Outstanding Guard in both his years there.[27]
Bennett wanted to understand everything about the game of basketball to the point that, even as an NBA player, teammates felt he would rather learn and study the game than participate in it.[28] Bennett's teams, especially at Virginia, are known for theirmotion offense and stifling defense which features his version of the "pack line" defensive strategy famously devised by his father. The pack line is designed to clog up potential driving lanes to the paint by forcing ball handlers to the middle of the floor where more "help" is concentrated. It forces opposing teams to pass and shoot well, while limiting dribble penetration and post play.[29][30]
In 1998, Bennett continued as head coach of the North Harbour Kings (who had changed their name from Vikings) but retired early as a player. His time there taught him he was able to coach without the anxiety he had seen his father experience coaching back in Wisconsin, and convinced him that he could undertake the stressful life of a coach while maintaining hisintegrity and peace of mind.[8] After the 1999 season, he returned to the U.S. to become his father's team manager so that they could spend time together.[26] Tony Bennett was then able to get a firsthand experience of Wisconsin's run to the2000 Final Four as a part of the staff under Dick Bennett.
After his father retired,Bo Ryan retained Bennett on his staff and there he remained until 2003, when Dick Bennett came out of retirement to coachWashington State. After one season as assistant coach, Bennett was designated as his father's successor and promoted to associate head coach.[31]
Tony Bennett accepted the position of head coach at Washington State when his father retired in 2006. Washington State's success immediately skyrocketed under the younger Bennett, and his 26 wins in both the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons tied a 66-year-old school record[32] set by the team that reached the Championship Game of the1941 NCAA tournament.
Bennett led the2006–07 Cougars basketball team to a 26–8 (13–5Pac-10, second place) record and the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Cougars earned a No. 3 seed and defeatedOral Roberts in the opening round before falling toVanderbilt in double overtime in the second round.[33] TheNCAA tournament appearance was the first for the Cougars since1994, breaking a 13-yearMarch Madness drought for the Cougars.
After the2006–07 season, Bennett was given the prestigiousHenry Iba Award by vote of theUnited States Basketball Writers Association, and was named theAP college basketball Coach of the Year[34] and theNaismith College Coach of the Year. He was also named theRivals.com Coach of the Year.[35]
They should put up a statue of him at Washington State. To win like he did there in that program, told me right away the kid is a winner.
During the2007–08 season, Bennett finished with a 26–9 record (11–7 in the Pac-10). He also went on to lead the Cougars to the Sweet Sixteen after beatingWinthrop andNotre Dame in the first and second rounds.[37] After losing toNorth Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen, Bennett's team had again reached the school record for wins, with 26.
After the season, Bennett reportedly turned down an offer to become head coach atIndiana, a job which eventually fell to Marquette coachTom Crean.[38][39] He also discussed theLSU (his wife's alma mater) vacancy at that year's Final Four, a job that eventually went to Stanford coachTrent Johnson.[40] Bennett decided to remain loyal to WSU.
Bennett went back to work at Washington State with a need to replace NBA draft pickKyle Weaver. He brought inKlay Thompson, a talented four-star recruit out of California (and son of former NBA playerMychal Thompson). Thompson rapidly improved on the offensive side of the court as a freshman, but the team struggled more than in the two previous years on the defensive end and finished 17–16.
Washington State dropped charter flights for Bennett and his staff for use in recruiting to the remotely located school and cancelled a trip for his staff to the2009 Final Four due to ongoing budgetary constraints in the WSU athletics department. As this was happening, Bennett was contacted about the open Virginia job and traveled to Charlottesville to interview. While very impressed withJohn Paul Jones Arena and the potential advantages of coaching inthe ACC, he initially decided to once again remain loyal to WSU. However, when Bennett went to call Virginia athletic directorCraig Littlepage and decline the offer, Bennett's wife Laurel stepped in and said "put the phone down," as she could sense a great uncertainty in his voice when he said he would pass up UVA.[41]
Bennett then accepted the Virginia offer on March 29 exactly one year, to the day, after turning down the Indiana job.[42]
Bennett was named head coach atVirginia on March 31, 2009.[43]Ritchie McKay, head coach of theLiberty Flames, stepped down to become Bennett's associate head coach before returning to the Flames in 2015.[44] During the rebuilding process, Bennett's teams increased their win total in every successive season. After inheriting a 10–18 squad that had the worst record in program history since the 1966–67 season, Bennett's Virginia won 15, 16, 22, 23, 30, and 30 games in his first six seasons. Under his guidance, Virginia had four of the five teams with records of 16–2 or better in the 18-game era (2012–2019) of ACC play, and only Virginia had a team finish 17–1 (none went undefeated).[45]
Bennett worked from Day 1 to build "a program that lasts" at Virginia.[2] He found in Charlottesville a fanbase that has really "bought in" on his defense-first mentality and tempo control, andJohn Paul Jones Arena is regarded as one of the toughest places to play for opposing teams of the ACC.[46][47][48] Thousands of fans lined the streets to JPJ fromCharlottesville–Albemarle Airport in 2019 to congratulate the Virginia team and Bennett on winning the program's first NCAA Championship.[49]
In their first season under Bennett his new team finished the season 15–16 (5–11 in the ACC), an improvement of 5 wins (+50%) versus the prior year under Bennett's predecessor (former DePaul coachDave Leitao).[50] SophomoreSylven Landesberg, a formerMcDonald's All-American recruited by Leitao, led the team in scoring before getting suspended for the final game of the season after failing to meet academic obligations.[51] It was soon announced that Landesberg and the program mutually parted ways, and he turned pro but went undrafted.[52]
Despite every disadvantage, including one star player (Landesberg) leaving because of academic struggles and another (Mike Scott) going down with an early-season injury and taking a medical redshirt, the Cavaliers started the season with a bang by knocking off No. 13 Minnesota on the road, in Minneapolis, during the2010 ACC-Big Ten Challenge. UVA improved to 7–9 in the ACC and had a winning record overall. They were passed over for postseason consideration.
This season began much like the last had, with unranked Virginia dismantling No. 15 Michigan in the2011 ACC-Big Ten Challenge. In justBennett's third year at Virginia, he led the Cavaliers to 22 wins and an NCAA Tournament berth. It was the most wins the program had tallied in 17 years and its first NCAA Tournament game (a lopsided loss toBilly Donovan and Florida) in five years. After rapid development under Bennett over the past three years (of which he played only two because of injury), Mike Scott was taken 43rd overall by theAtlanta Hawks in the2012 NBA draft.
Based on his early successes,Athlon Sports named Bennett one of the four best ACC coaches (with Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, and Leonard Hamilton) before the season.[53] The Cavaliers would tally one more win (23) than the previous season, despite losingMike Scott to the NBA, and establish nearly all the pieces to take the program even higher.Justin Anderson,Malcolm Brogdon,Anthony Gill,Joe Harris,Darion Atkins,Mike Tobey, andAkil Mitchell all started or played extensively for the young team. All they were missing was a controlling point guard, which Bennett found on the recruiting trail in "diamond in the rough" three-starLondon Perrantes from California.
In2013–14, Perrantes started as a freshman and joined the top players from the previous season as the Cavaliers won theirsixth ACC regular season title, clinching it with a statement 75–56 home win against highly touted ACC newcomer No. 4Syracuse, a team which had started the season 25–0. It was also their first outright regular season title since 1981. Virginia also won its second-ever ACC Tournament title (their first since 1976), defeating second-seeded No. 7 Duke in the final game, 72–63. The Cavaliers received their third (but first since 1983) No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1995. Bennett was a finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year,[54] as well as runner-up for AP Coach of the Year.[55] Bennett signed a new seven-year contract to extend his employment with Virginia through 2021. It included a $1.924 million base salary package, with additional longevity and achievement bonuses.[56] Part of his contract negotiations included long-term contract renewals for his staff.[57]
A guy who just oozes class, great guy, knows how to recruit his kids,develop his type of kids, coach his kids, just an unbelievable job he's doing in Charlottesville.
Virginia got off to a19–0 start, reaching an AP No. 2 ranking for the first time since1983. Much was made in the press that of the top three teams, each dominating the competition and remaining undefeated well into January (Kentucky, Virginia, and Duke) the Cavaliers were doing so with no McDonald's All-Americans on the roster, whereas the Wildcats and Blue Devils had teams filled withnine each.[59][60] Highlights included holdingGeorgia Tech,Rutgers, andHarvard to under thirty points each and actually "doubling up" the scores of Georgia Tech (57–28) andWake Forest (70–34) – unprecedented dominance for any team of the past 50 years against ACC competition.[61] The Harvard game was notable for a near-tripling score,76–27 and limiting the Crimson, an NCAA Tournament team, to one field goal in the first half which tied the NCAA record for the shot clock era.[62] Two injuries toJustin Anderson near the end of the season dampened NCAA Tournament hopes before he turned pro for the2015 NBA draft. Bennett was awarded his secondHenry Iba Award as the nation's top coach, joining ACC peerRoy Williams as the only coaches ever to win the award at two different schools. Bennett signed a new contract through 2024, later extended through 2026 and beyond.[63][64]
UVA started the season with impressive wins against eventual national champions Villanova, West Virginia, and California.[65] The number of home-and-away series with programs from other power conferences such as these was virtually unprecedented in the ACC.[65] Bennett was recognized for having one of the most elite offenses in the nation as well as one of the best defenses once more,[66][67] andESPN writer Jeff Goodman chose Bennett as the ideal head coach of his mythical "Dream Team" before the season... stating "I'm going with Bennett, who ... has owned the ACC the past two seasons. Just imagine what he could do with this group of players and this level of talent. Bennett will make sure these guys defend (yes, even youNiang!) and he also has the ideal, even-keeled temperament."[68] UVA later defeated Iowa State in Niang's final collegiate game in the Sweet Sixteen, before Bennett's first loss (starting 3–0) toJim Boeheim's Syracuse in the Elite Eight.
UVA brought in a well-rounded recruiting class which included Bennett's firstMcDonald's All-American, a consensus top 50 recruit,Kyle Guy. Former five-star recruit and transferAustin Nichols became eligible after sitting out the previous season, but was suspended for two weeks including the season opening game for an undisclosed incident and dismissed entirely for a second undisclosed incident after playing (and starting) in one game.[69] UVA nonetheless broke its record for consecutive weeks ranked in the AP Top 25 poll with a streak of 64 polling weeks spanning more than three years, breaking its previous best of 49 in the 1980s.[70] Bennett recorded his 250th win as a head coach against No. 14 Notre Dame, in South Bend, 71–54, while extending his record againstMike Brey to 5–0.[71] The Cavaliers notched impressive double-digit victories over eventual national champions No. 5 North Carolina, 53–43, and No. 4 ranked Louisville, 71–55. This completed Bennett's head-to-head rivalry record against Hall of FamerRick Pitino at 5–1 before Pitino wasdismissed for NCAA rules violations in the off-season.
Tony Bennett has 65 ACC wins [in the past 41⁄2 years]. That's eight more than Roy Williams and nine more than Mike Krzyzewski. Bennett is this league's landlord.
–Matt Norlander,CBS Sports, 1/2018[72]
UVA was viewed as a rebuilding team after departures ofLondon Perrantes,Marial Shayok, andDarius Thompson, and the first AP poll had Virginia unranked for the first time since 2013. AWinston-Salem Journal reporter projected the worst season of Bennett's career at 5–13 in ACC play.[73] UVA was ranked after winning theNIT Season Tip-Off.[74] They defeated No. 12 North Carolina 61–49 to continue a home streak of 5–0 against the Heels since 2013.[75] No. 2 Virginia then overcame No. 4 Duke on the road for Bennett's first victory atCameron Indoor Stadium. TheWinston-Salem Journal reporter literally "ate his words" about Virginia, ingesting a copy of his previous article withbarbeque sauce.[76] UNC prepared for their Duke rivalry game by reviewing tape of UVA suffocating No. 18 Clemson 61–36;Joel Berry II explained, "We want to be like [Virginia] defensively."[77] UVA attained its first AP No. 1 ranking since 1982.[78] With a 66–37 victory at Pitt, Virginia won its third outright regular season title in five years.[79] The Cavaliers won the2018 ACC tournament, defeating North Carolina 71–63 in the ACC Championship Game. UVA earned the first overall seed in theNCAA tournament, but the next day lost ACC Sixth Man of the YearDe'Andre Hunter to a broken wrist.[80] TheNew York Daily News changed their pick from Virginia winning the national title to losing in the Sweet Sixteen after the injury.[81] Virginia then notoriouslylost to UMBC in the opening round, the first time since expansion in 1985 that a No. 1 seed lost to a No. 16, in the first ever regional to have its No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 seeds all lose in the opening weekend.[82][83] Bennett's even-keeled reaction was featured inInc. magazine as a lesson inemotional intelligence andleadership.[84] For defying rebuilding expectations to finish 31–3, Bennett won a thirdHenry Iba Award.[85]
After a decade of proving himself as one of the very best coaches in all of college basketball, Tony Bennett shook the monkey off of his back for good as he led Virginia to the greatest redemption story in the history of sports.
–Rob Dauster,NBC Sports, 8/2019[86]
UVA opened the season with consecutive wins over rankedBig Ten teams, No. 25 Wisconsin (Battle 4 Atlantis) and No. 24 Maryland (ACC–Big Ten Challenge), the latter of which improved Bennett's record in the Challenge to 8–2. Diminutive (5'9") point guardKihei Clark, an unheraldedthree-star recruit who had initially committed to theUC Davis Aggies of theBig West Conference, started both games as a true freshman. The No. 4 Cavaliers routed No. 9 Virginia Tech 81–59 in the first time in series history that the two rivals met while both ranked in the top ten of theAP Poll.[87] Virginia started the season 16–0 before falling at No. 1 Duke, 72–70.[88] The game was viewed by 3.8 million people as the highest rated televised game of college basketball in the regular season, and was just the fourth in NCAA history between two teams both ranked number one as No. 4 Virginia was ranked first in theCoaches Poll before the loss.[89][88] After a 16–2 ACC record, Virginia won a share of their fourth ACC regular season title in the past six years.[90] UVA attained a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, along with Duke and North Carolina, only the second time in NCAA history that three No. 1 seeds came from the same conference.[b][91] Virginia was the only No. 1 seed to reachthe Final Four after dispatching Gardner-Webb 71–56, Oklahoma 63–51, Oregon 53–49, and Purdue 80–75 in overtime. The Virginia–Purdue game in particular was called an "instant classic" bySports Illustrated andUSA Today afterCarsen Edwards threw up extremely long-distance three pointers well beyond NBA range and seemingly could not miss, scoring over half the total for thered-hot Boilermakers with 42 points and, by far, a new scoring record against Bennett-coached teams.[92][93]Mamadi Diakite and Clark played the heroes to save the season with a backtap rebound to Clark and his subsequent bullet pass and game-tying shot from Diakite with under 1 second left to forceovertime.[94][95] In the Final Four, Virginia defeatedthe Auburn Tigers by a single point, 63–62, asKyle Guy drained threefree throws with 0.6 seconds on the clock after an Auburn player undercut his lower body on the release of a corner three-pointer just as time expired.[96]Reigning NCAA football champion and friendDabo Swinney sent Bennett a text prior to the title game which he shared with the team: "let the light that shinesin you be brighter than the light that shineson you."[97] Virginia did just that in a back-and-forth physical2019 NCAA Tournament Championship Game to outlast fellow defensive stalwartsTexas Tech in overtime and win it by a score of 85–77.NABC Defensive Player of the Year redshirt sophomoreDe'Andre Hunter scored a career-high 27 points while holding Red Raider starJarrett Culver to 15 points on 5-for-22 shooting.[98] Thousands of fans lined the streets fromCharlottesville–Albemarle Airport toJohn Paul Jones Arena the next day to welcome the team and Bennett back home.[49] In light of the previous year's loss to UMBC,ESPN called Virginia's championship run "the most redemptive season in the history of college basketball," andNBC Sports took it a step further by calling it "the greatest redemption story in the history of sports."[86][99] With little left to prove in the college game, Hunter, Jerome, and Guy forwent their remaining eligibility and all three were selected in the2019 NBA draft; both Hunter and Jerome went in the first round.[100] Bennett was named to a list of the World's 50 Greatest Leaders byFortune magazine alongside such names asSpecial Counsel (andUVA Law alumnus)Robert Mueller,Prince Harry andMeghan Markle, andTim Cook ofApple.[101]
The Athletic named Bennett the 2019 College Basketball Person of the Year in the article "Tony Bennett: Humility and Grace made him a most deserving Champion", lauding the five pillars and the foundation they set for the Virginia program.[102] Bennett declined a raise when extending his contract before the season and UVA PresidentJames Ryan called him "one of the most selfless people [he's] ever met."[64] InCBS Sports' pre-season ranking, Matt Norlander opined Virginia has "arguably the best coach going in the sport."[103] The Cavaliers won theHall of Fame Tip Off by defeatingArizona State in the championship game. After a wrist fracture injury toBraxton Key the team was blown out at Purdue, 69–40, in anElite Eight rematch from the previous season. It was Bennett's first loss in theACC–Big Ten Challenge since 2013. His Cavaliers rebounded to defeat No. 7 North Carolina, 56–47, continuing a home streak of 6–0 against the Tar Heels since 2013. Virginia also defeated No. 5 Florida State, No. 7 Duke, and No. 10 Louisville. In the Duke game,Durham native Jay Huff had 10 blocks to spur the Cavaliers to victory against the Blue Devils. By the end of the season, the No. 17 Cavaliers were 23–7, had won eight straight games, 11 of their final 12, and had earned the No. 2 seed inthe cancelled ACC tournament. In the last game of the season the team defeated No. 10 Louisville, 57–54, and a subsequentFiveThirtyEight article revealed this squad's defense to be the most effective of any Tony Bennett coached team thus far.[104]The Athletic called this team Bennett's true "masterpiece", succeeding with far less talent after the previous season's NCAA Championship team lost four starters to professional basketball.[105]Mamadi Diakite andBraxton Key graduated on an 8-game ACC winning streak but without a chance to play in the unfinished2020 ACC tournament or to defend their NCAA Championship.
He's one of the best coaches in the country but not everyone is fit to be part of his program. He's got those five pillars... the ones that [are fit for it] become better players, better people, better men when they leave, and they win a ton of games.
–Dalen Cuff,ACC Network, 2/2021[106]
Virginia opened as an early favorite to win another NCAA title two years out.[107] However, Virginia was surprised 61–60 by unrankedSan Francisco in their second game,[108] and the vaunted Cavalier defense broke down against No. 1Gonzaga in a December neutral site game (inFort Worth, Texas) allowing 60% shooting and 50% three-point shooting in a 98–75 loss.[109] The program faced several postponed and canceled games due toCOVID-19 outbreaks within the UVA and other basketball programs.[110] The team rebounded to shut down No. 12 Clemson 85–50 on the road, Virginia's largest margin of victory in ACC games since 2015.[111] When No. 9 Virginia defeated North Carolina for the seventh straight time, 60–48, it was the first time since 1966 that no UNC players scored in double figures.[112] With that win, Bennett became the third ACC coach in history to have ten straight winning ACC seasons.[3] Virginia clinched Bennett's fifth ACC regular season title in eight years with a victory at Louisville in the last game of the season, and was seeded No. 1 in theACC tournament. One player had a positive COVID test following the team's quarterfinals victory over Syracuse, forcing a forfeit against Georgia Tech, which then received an effective bye to the championship gameand won it.[113] Nearly the entire UVA team was required to sit out of all team activities for seven days inquarantine after results ofcontact tracing; arriving a day late to the NCAA Tournament and without having practiced.[114] Virginia's rival Louisville, which narrowly missed an NCAA bid, was put on standby in case UVA was unable to assemble a team with at least five eligible players againstMAC championsOhio.[114] While cleared to play after being woken up for tests at 1:30 AM on the day of the game,[115] the week in quarantine and late arrival did Virginia no favors as they shot 35% from the field and lost the game 62–58.[116] After a highly productive50–40–90 shooting output on the year and effective defensive play, juniorTrey Murphy III was drafted 17th in the first round of the2021 NBA draft.
TheArizona Daily Star called Bennett the "gold standard of college basketball coaching" and the modern equivalent ofArizona's late Hall of FamerLute Olson, but said Arizona fans needed to "lower [their] expectations";Tommy Lloyd, coach-in-waiting at Gonzaga, took the job.[117] Bennett signed transfersArmaan Franklin from Indiana andJayden Gardner from East Carolina, after losingeight players to graduation, the NBA, and the transfer portal. The Cavaliers got off to their roughest start in a decade, losing 66–58 to Navy, 52–49 to James Madison, and 75–74 to Iowa in theACC–Big Ten Challenge, dropping Bennett's Challenge record to 8–4. A 67–50 loss at JPJ to Clemson snapped an 11-game winning streak against the Tigers.[118] Virginia returned the favor with a 10-point victory at Clemson, continuing a 6-game winning streak for UVA atLittlejohn Coliseum.[119] A 74–58 road loss to North Carolina snapped a 7-game winning streak against the Tar Heels.[120] Regaining composure, Bennett's Cavaliers heldPaolo Banchero to single-digit scoring for the first time of his career as the team emerged fromCameron Indoor Stadium with a 69–68 win over AP No. 7 Duke inMike Krzyzewski's final home game against Virginia, delivered byReece Beekman's last-second three-pointer;Trevor Keels remarked that UVA had "punched [them] in the mouth."[121] The Cavaliers finished 12–8 in-conference, good enough for an 11th straight winning ACC season, but the 12 regular season losses were the most yielded by UVA during that span.
Virginia opened the season by winning theContinental Tire Main Eventchampionship belt, taking the opening game overNo. 5 Baylor, 86–79, and defeatingNo. 19 Illinois in the championship game, 70–61. UVA defeated Michigan 70–68 at Ann Arbor in UVA's finalACC–Big Ten Challenge matchup, leaving Bennett with a 9–4 record in the Challenge, and Virginia at 14–8; tied for the 2nd-most Challenge wins out of 29 participating basketball programs in the ACC and Big Ten. The Cavaliers recorded an 8th consecutive home win in their rivalry with (pre-season AP No. 1) North Carolina, 67–58, in January,[122] then defeated the Tar Heels again, 68–59, in the2023 ACC Tournament quarterfinals. For the season, Virginia tied with Miami at 15–5 in ACC play to share the regular season title but lost to Duke, 59–49, in the ACC Tournament championship game; they lost to Furman in the NCAA Tournament, 68–67, on an errant pass and opposing three pointer with 2 seconds left.
UVA was more inconsistent in his final year than in recent memory, but still finished 23–11 with a 13th straight winning (13–7) record in the ACC and a 12–1 record in games decided by less than 10 points. The team also lost ten games by double digits including blowout losses of 20 or more points to Wisconsin, at Memphis, at Notre Dame, at Virginia Tech, at Duke, and in the NCAA First Four to Colorado State. In particular, shooting woes from several starters allowed defenses to focus on locking down primary threats likeReece Beekman andIsaac McKneely.[123] Player development remained strong, as McKneely took several key steps toward becoming a more complete all-around player in addition to being an excellent catch-and-shoot sharpshooter.[123] Beekman was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, while sophomoreRyan Dunn led the conference inblocked shots.[124] Dunn subsequently declared for and was selected in the 1st round of the2024 NBA draft by theDenver Nuggets, while Beekman signed a two-way contract with theGolden State Warriors.
On October 18, 2024, Bennett stunned[125][126] the college basketball world by retiring at the age of 55 just 18 days before opening tipoff.[126] He cited the state of unregulated NIL money and transfers as reasons he is "no longer equipped" to coach modern college basketball and said he hopes these new aspects of the college basketball landscape will be better regulated in time.[127] Bennett said he'd remain around the Virginia program, and would like to take on a part-time role with "lots of vacation time."[127] Bennett had, earlier in the year, already given Associate Head CoachRon Sanchez "more of the reins" to implement a faster-paced offensive system in the upcoming season.[128]
Under head coach Tony Bennett, the Cavaliers have built a program that seems to feed on itself [...] They have forged a culture that perpetuates success, regardless of the individuals on the floor, like college basketball's version of theSan Antonio Spurs.
–The Ringer, 3/2018[19]
Only the fourth former NBA player to win the NCAA Championship, Bennett developed many of his players into NCAA All-Americans and NBA draft picks. Part of Bennett's philosophy is that it's agift to be able to play (or coach) basketball at a high level and "to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."[129] To convey that to his players in the off-season, he's asked, "if you played [last year's version of] yourself one-on-one, could you dominate yourself now? If you can't say yes, then you have not done your job improving."[129]
An opposing coach discussed Bennett's reputation for player development toCBS Sports in 2016, stating that he "gets the bigger picture that it's more than just basketball, and his players develop at a high level and become pros."[130] Bennett's methods of recruiting and development was compared to theSan Antonio Spurs (because of that NBA franchise's commitment to unselfishness andteam success under CoachPopovich).[19]
Eleven of Bennett's players at Virginia and Washington State were drafted into the NBA. Several of them have become widely known for their shooting prowess.Joe Harris is one of the NBA's All-Time Top 5 shooters in three-point field goal shooting percentage,[133] led the league in 2018–19 and 2020–21, and won theThree-Point Contest overStephen Curry at the2019 NBA All-Star Game.[134]Malcolm Brogdon is a member of the NBA's exclusive50–40–90 club for extreme shooters, andKlay Thompson is, with Curry, one of theSplash Brothers of the four-time NBA championGolden State Warriors.Sam Hauser won anNBA Championship with the'24 Boston Celtics, making 11 three-pointers in five games of the Finals.[135]
Both of Bennett's players who were awardedNABC Defensive Player of the Year (Brogdon andDe'Andre Hunter) later became NBA starters. Brogdon becameNBA Rookie of the Year.
⭒Murphy III, Shayok, and Thompson also played for other head coaches at Rice, Iowa State, and Washington State (after Bennett became Virginia's coach) respectively.
Undrafted Bennett players to see significant NBA minutes includeSam Hauser (NBA Champion with'24 Boston Celtics),Mamadi Diakite (NBA Champion with'21 Milwaukee Bucks),Aron Baynes (NBA Champion with'14 San Antonio Spurs),Jay Huff,Braxton Key, andAnthony Gill.
Other Bennett players to play in professional basketball leagues around the globe includeLondon Perrantes,Mike Tobey,Jack Salt,Akil Mitchell,Darion Atkins,Marcus Capers,Mustapha Farrakhan Jr.,Sylven Landesberg,Laurynas Mikalauskas,Jerome Meyinsse,Austin Nichols,Taylor Rochestie, andSammy Zeglinski.
SixVirginia Cavaliers developed under Bennett into winningNCAA All-America honors and/or national awards.
NABC Defensive Player of the Year
NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player
First Team All-American
Second Team All-American
Third Team All-American
The Bennett family pledged $500,000 to fund acareer development program specifically for current and former members of the Virginia basketball program who are beginning or advancing careers away from basketball.[136]
Bennett is married and has two children, one son and one daughter. Bennett met his wife Laurel (née Purcell) at a church in nearbyNorth Carolina, while he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets.[137] He is aChristian and would likely have become apastor if not a college basketball coach.[138] He has spoken about his faith saying, "When you have a relationship with theLord, there's a peace and perspective you have. The world didn't give it, and the world can't take it away."[139] Bennett has also cited his faith as impacting his coaching philosophy, in particular his use of his father's "Five Pillars": humility, passion, unity, servanthood, and thankfulness.[137]
The best known member of a talented coaching family tree, he is the son of former head coachDick Bennett (Washington State, Wisconsin, Green Bay, and Wisconsin–Stevens Point) and brother of former head coachKathi Bennett (Northern Illinois and Indiana). The "pack line" defense that the younger Bennett perfected at Virginia was first implemented in an earlier form by the elder Bennett up until Tony took over head coaching duties from his father at Washington State.[29]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–89 | Green Bay | 27 | 27 | 34.4 | .522 | .439 | .847 | 2.0 | 5.1 | 1.8 | .0 | 19.1 |
| 1989–90 | Green Bay | 30 | 29 | 36.0 | .504 | .482 | .859 | 2.2 | 5.2 | 1.3 | .1 | 16.6 |
| 1990–91 | Green Bay | 31 | 30 | 36.1 | .547 | .533 | .836 | 2.4 | 5.0 | 1.2 | .1 | 21.5 |
| 1991–92 | Green Bay | 30 | 28 | 33.2 | .534 | .511 | .826 | 2.9 | 5.1 | 1.2 | .2 | 20.2 |
| Career | 118 | 114 | 34.9 | .528 | .497^ | .840 | 2.4 | 5.1 | 1.4 | .1 | 19.4 | |
^ NCAA Record
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | Charlotte | 75 | 2 | 11.4 | .423 | .325 | .732 | .8 | 1.8 | .4 | .0 | 3.7 |
| 1993–94 | Charlotte | 74 | 5 | 13.3 | .399 | .360 | .733 | 1.2 | 2.2 | .5 | .0 | 3.4 |
| 1994–95 | Charlotte | 3 | 0 | 15.3 | .462 | .222 | – | .7 | 1.3 | .0 | .0 | 4.7 |
| Career | 152 | 7 | 12.4 | .412 | .335 | .732 | 1.0 | 2.0 | .5 | .0 | 3.5 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Charlotte | 8 | 0 | 10.8 | .480 | .500 | 1.000 | 1.1 | 1.6 | .3 | .1 | 3.8 |
HUMILITY: Know Who We Are
PASSION: Do Not Be Lukewarm
UNITY: Do Not Divide Our House
SERVANTHOOD: Make Teammates Better
THANKFULNESS: Learn From Each Circumstance
| ACC Rival | Wins | Losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville | 19 | 2 | .905 |
| Virginia Tech | 19 | 10 | .655 |
| North Carolina | 14 | 10 | .583 |
| Maryland[d] | 8 | 4 | .667 |
Bennett had a winning record against each of the team'sACC rivals and drew praise from rival coaches. Hall of FamerRick Pitino (1–5 against Bennett) of Louisville said, "there is no such thing as post-play against Virginia"; similarly former Virginia Tech coachBuzz Williams (3–8 against Bennett) called Virginia's system "offensivelyand defensively elite."[30][144]
Bennett was 60–26 in UVA'sVirginia's rivalry games versus Virginia Tech, Louisville, Maryland, and North Carolina. Bennett "flipped the script" against North Carolina in particular, leading the program to a 14–10 record versus UNC, including the2018 ACC tournament championship, against a program that had continually frustrated Virginia (in several ACC tournaments and the1981 Final Four) when the two conference rivals perennially topped college basketball polls of the early 1980s. Bennett's UVA teams went a perfect 7–0 in his final seven games against Hall of FamerRoy Williams (7–12 against Bennett) to close out a friendly[145] rivalry during the final five years of Williams' tenure at UNC (during which period both Williams, in 2017; and Bennett, in 2019; won NCAA Championships). The prior best streak for Virginia against North Carolina was six straight wins, more than a century earlier, from 1911 to 1916 under program founderPop Lannigan.[145]
· Basketball Reference
