Speculation About Tony Bennett’s Future Begins
Could he be planning to wrap up his run at Virginia?
For all intents and purpose, Virginia basketball has two eras: the Terry Holland era and the Tony Bennett era. You could make an argument that the Holland era was better, but Bennett won a natty and that kind of trumps the Holland era, great though it was.
And it was great - Final Fours, first ACC championship, the Ralph Sampson era. And to give Holland his due, he built on nothing. When Bennett got there, even if it hadn’t been maintained, Virginia had long since obtained tradition.
Bennett has done an amazing job since arriving in 2010. The 2019 title drive was the apex obviously. You can point to the other, semi-regular post-season collapses, most notoriously in 2018 when #1 Virginia got blown out by #16 UMBC, but the winning has been consistent, at least in the regular season.
But will it continue?
We pointed out some time ago that guys like Mike Brey and Bennett, who rely on seasoning players and developing them over several years - are going to have a tough time maintaining their success in the era of NIL and frequent transfers.
Indeed, Brey left Notre Dame after the 2023 season. Could Bennett follow him soon?
We mention this because according to Jerry Ratcliffe, Bennett has two years left on his contract and has not signed an extension. And according to Ratcliffe, he has also turned down raises.
He even speculates about Bennett succeeding Gregg Popovich as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs and makes a reasonable argument for why it could happen. He wouldn’t be able to pull off 50 point games there but Bennett with Victor Wembanyama in the back of his defense? The mind boggles.
Anyway, it’s an interesting situation and one that Virginia would probably do well to clear up as soon possible.