Charlotte AD Hints at Possible Virginia-Charlotte Non-Conference Game

As a result of Ron Sanchez stepping down from Charlotte to return to the UVA coaching staff, the Cavaliers and 49ers could face each other next season

Sam Roberts/FreezeFrame

Virginia's non-conference schedule next season could include a road matchup against Charlotte, according to Charlotte athletics director Mike Hill. On June 6th, it was announced that Charlotte men's basketball head coach Ron Sanchez would be stepping down from his position and returning to serve as the associate head coach at UVA, where he served on the coaching staff for Tony Bennett's first nine years at Virginia. When a head coach vacates his position in the midst of his contract in order to take a job at another school, it is commonplace for those two programs to then schedule a game against each other the following season. 

That seems to be the likely outcome for Virginia and Charlotte in the case of Ron Sanchez, according to a report from Hunter Bailey of The Charlotte Observer. "I don't know if it will be a home and home, but I think the 49ers and Cavaliers will be playing and our fans will have a chance to see it," said Charlotte director of athletics Mike Hill in the report by Bailey. 

I asked Charlotte AD Mike Hill if the 49ers would schedule a home and home with Virginia following the Sanchez exit.

His response: “I don’t know if it will be a home and home, but I think the 49ers and Cavaliers will be playing and our fans will have a chance to see it.”

— Hunter Bailey (@Hunter_Bailey45) June 13, 2023

That quote would seem to imply that Virginia could end up taking on Charlotte at a venue other than Charlotte's home stadium - Dale F. Halton Arena - but still in the Charlotte area. UVA is already scheduled to play one game at the Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets, against Florida on November 10th. Now, it appears the Cavaliers will be playing another non-conference game in the Queen City due to Ron Sanchez leaving Charlotte to rejoin the Virginia coaching staff. 

After spending 12 seasons on Tony Bennett's coaching staff, including three seasons at Washington State and then the first nine seasons of Bennett's tenure at UVA, Sanchez accepted his first head coaching job at Charlotte in 2018. In five years at Charlotte, Sanchez turned in a 72-78 overall record and coached the 49ers to records above .500 in three of his five seasons. In his final season in Charlotte in 2022-2023, Sanchez led the program to its first-ever postseason tournament title as the 49ers captured the 2023 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) in Daytona Beach, Florida. Sanchez, 43, stepped down from his position at Charlotte on June 6th to resume his role as the associate head coach at Virginia. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Ron and his family back to the University of Virginia,” said Tony Bennett. “Ron played an integral part in building this program and was a pillar in the community. He is an outstanding recruiter and coach, and really connects with student-athletes. Ron’s last five years as a head coach enhances what he will bring back to our basketball program.”

“The University of Virginia is truly special to me and my family,” Ron Sanchez said. “It is the only institution I would vacate my head coaching position for. I’m thankful for the opportunity to return to Grounds with a new-found lens and perspective."

If Charlotte is indeed added to Virginia's non-conference schedule next season, it will mark the first-ever meeting between the 49ers and Cavaliers. Here's what we know about the non-conference slate for the 2023-2024 Virginia men's basketball season so far:

November 10th: Virginia vs. Florida [Charlotte, NC]
November 16th: Virginia vs. Texas Southern
November 20th: Virginia vs. SMU/Wisconsin/West Virginia [Fort Myers, FL]
November 22th: Virginia vs. SMU/Wisconsin/West Virginia [Fort Myers, FL]
December 27th: Virginia vs. Morgan State
TBA: Virginia at Memphis
TBA: Virginia vs. TBD SEC opponent [ACC/SEC Challenge]

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