Virginia's Tony Bennett Shocks College Basketball World, Abruptly Retires 20 Days Before Season Opener

Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett shocked the college basketball world by announcing his retirement effective immediately, just 20 days before the Cavaliers are set to start the 2024-2025 season. 

Bennett is 55-years-old and was set to start his 16th season as the head coach at Virginia. His team, known for its tenacious defense, will open the season Nov. 6 against Campbell, and there has not been an interim coach named. 

Bennett led Virginia to the national championship in 2019, while also winning two ACC Tournament titles, along with six regular season conference trophies. 

The news that was first reported by Jeff Goodman on Thursday afternoon sent shockwaves across the college basketball world, as Bennett had just represented Virginia at ACC Media Days last week. His team was picked to finish fifth in the conference in the media poll. 

According to multiple sources, this move to retire just before the season is not health related, but more of a decision that came after careful consideration of where his head was at when it came to continuing the grind of coaching college basketball in this new era. Obviously, more details will be discussed Friday when he holds a news conference to discuss his decision. 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - MARCH 09: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers cuts down the net after winning a game against the Louisville Cardinals to a clinch a share of the ACC regular season title at John Paul Jones Arena on March 9, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)

During ACC Media Days, Bennett was asked by Jeff Borzello of ESPN on why folks around college basketball thought he might end up being the next Jay Wright, and retire early. 

"I always have said, when you're doing this, you're in this profession, whether you agree how it's going or not, you have to be true to yourself and really look at it and say, who am I? Can I operate how I want, and can it be successful enough? And you get to choose if you want to be a part of it or not," Bennett told Borzello.

""And when you feel it's time, like Jay did, like Coach K, maybe Saban, it's their choice. And you can sit here and complain and gripe. Or you have a decision to make. Either you try to do it in your way or you get to make that decision. So I think Jay Wright probably foresaw where this is going. ... It'll be better whenever there's regulations. Is that three to five years away? Who knows? But if it's not -- those are decisions that every man has to make when it's his time."

Who would've thought that a question like that would be answered in a more dramatic way, one week later. 

Coaches Are Making Decision To Retire Early. What About The Players? 

Over the last five years, we have seen a shift in college athletics, which has played a major part in the retirement of some of the biggest names in the sport. The ACC alone has seen North Carolina's Roy Williams, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim all decide to hang it up since 2021. That obviously doesn't include former Villanova head coach Jay Wright, who retired in 2022 at the age of 60. 

The growing trend of legendary coaches retiring has had a lot to do with the changing landscape of college athletics, where NIL, the transfer portal and the recruiting calendar have all played a part in these decisions. I would expect you to see some of the same reasons from Tony Bennett on Friday. 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA - MARCH 22: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers watches the game against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies during the NIT Quarterfinals at John Paul Jones Arena on March 22, 2022 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

Now, this leaves his basketball team in a difficult state, given that the season is practically here. Also, it should be noted that the transfer portal is now open for current Virginia basketball players for the next 30-days, though the timing of this announcement doesn't help. 

There are not many options for the current roster, given that the semester has already begun, though there are plenty of schools that do have mini-semesters that start in the winter, usually right before conference play begins. 

While Virginia fans try and digest this news, the rest of college basketball is wondering who could be the next guy to follow the growing trend of getting out of the game. 

Judging by Thursday's news, timing is not a factor in these decisions any longer. But if your heart is no longer in it, then I guess it's best to hand over the reigns.