Tony Bennett jokes about one thing he won’t miss, reminiscing his 15 years at UVA
Former NCAA champion coach Tony Bennett joked that he won't miss answering pace or style of play questions from the media now that he's retired coaching the Virginia Cavaliers.
Bennett cracked the joke during his press conference announcing his retirement in Charlottesville on Friday. The 55-year-old coach talked about the program's success over the past 15 years, particularly on how he designed a team to compete with the NCAA's "Blue Bloods."
"I won't miss answering questions about pace of play or style of play anymore from the media," Bennett said. (4:08-onwards)
Bennett paid tribute to the people, particularly former players and team staff, who believed in his philosophy and the way he handled his team during his tenure.
"I wouldn't trade it for anything and there's no chance if it would have happened without the young men and how we did it, and we did it in a unique way," he said.
Tony Bennett, who guided Virginia to the 2019 national championship, pledged to support the school but away from the coaching huddles that he used to be in the middle of over the past 15 seasons.
Tony Bennett looks forward to 2024-25 college basketball season — as a spectator
Newly-retired Virginia coach Tony Bennett showed his enthusiasm to the coaching staff and the players that he'll leave behind following his announcement.
Bennett expressed excitement about the Virginia 2024-25 college basketball roster, believing that they can be a good team despite a tough schedule. He urged the coaching staff to take the Cavaliers to the NCAA Tournament this season.
"So I'll be around, but I'm going to miss, miss you. But I am looking forward to gaining those things that I can't lose. As I started out with and giving this back," he said. (11:39-onwards)
During the question and answer with the media, Bennett quipped that he's open to having a part-time job with longer breaks to be with his family. But he added that he'll be around to assist in any way possible.
Tony Bennett became the sixth college basketball coach who won a national title to retire since the NIL era began, following the likes of Roy Williams (North Carolina), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Jim Calhoun (UConn), Jay Wright (Villanova) and Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), per Sports Illustrated.
He'll leave Virginia to the hands of his longtime assistant coach Ron Sanchez, who was appointed head coach following Bennett's retirement. Virginia, with hopes to surpass its First Four finish last season, begins its 2024-25 campaign against Campbell on Nov. 6 at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.