Tony Bennett, Virginia’s longtime men’s basketball coach, is unexpectedly retiring before the start of the season

Tony Bennett, the longtime coach of Virginia’s men’s basketball team, is retiring before the start of the season, the school announced Thursday. The news, first reported by Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, was confirmed by the Cavaliers shortly thereafter.

Bennett, who has coached the Cavaliers since 2009, will retire effective immediately. He and Virginia will host a news conference Friday morning to discuss the sudden move.

Bennett, one of the most respected college coaches in the country, coached Virginia for 15 seasons and led the Cavaliers to an NCAA championship in 2019 — a year after his team became the first No. 1 seed to lose in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The 55-year-old coach also led Virginia to six ACC regular season titles, two ACC Tournament titles and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances. He is a two-time Naismith Coach of the Year. He posted a 364-136 record at Virginia, had just one losing season with the Cavaliers (his first), and left the team as the winningest coach in school history.

Jay Wright, who coached at Villanova for 21 years before making an unexpected retirement announcement in 2022, praised Bennett in a post on X.

“Tony is one of the most talented and toughest coaches we have ever competed against. We have always respected him and his teams at the highest level,” Wright wrote.

Per NCAA guidelines, UVA players have 30 days to enter the transfer portal starting Friday. Virginia’s first game of the season, a home game against Campbell, is scheduled for Nov. 6.