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UVA Basketball: Health Not a Factor in Tony Bennett's Abrupt Retirement

Matt Newton

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Upon hearing the shocking news of Tony Bennett's abrupt and immediate retirement as head coach of the UVA basketball program, many in the college basketball world asked the same question of whether health concerns played a factor in the 55-year-old coach stepping down less than three weeks before the season began.

According to multiple reports, it appears that health-related issues were not involved in Tony Bennett's decision to retire.

Jeff Goodman, who was the first to report the news of Bennett's retirement just a few minutes before it was officially announced by Virginia, reported that there was "no health issue with Tony Bennett in his decision to retire." Goodman added, "There are likely other reasons, but the changing landscape of college basketball over the last couple years cannot be underestimated in his decision."

Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports confirmed Goodman's report with her own sources.

It is unquestionably good news that Tony Bennett's health is not in question as that was the leading theory to explain this shocking development. However, if we're ruling health out as an explanation, it leaves an air of confusion surrounding the timing of Bennett's decision to retire.

No one expected Tony Bennett to be someone who coached into old age. He's a family man who clearly has his priorities in order when it comes to basketball's place in his life. And it would not have been that shocking if Bennett had retired at the end of this season, or even if he had decided to call it quits after the way last season ended, a brutal blowout loss to Colorado State in a play-in game to make it five years since the Cavaliers last won an NCAA Tournament game.

Those would have been much more reasonable moments for Bennett to retire than now, when it's so close to the beginning of the season. It leaves the rest of his staff and his players very little time to adjust and prepare for Bennett's absence this season. While UVA director of athletics Carla Williams will have all season to find the right candidate to succeed Bennett, the timing of his retirement makes things very difficult and complicated for the 2024-2025 Virginia men's basketball season.

Is Ron Sanchez the Heir Apparent to Tony Bennett for UVA Basketball?

Since he was correct and first on breaking Bennett's retirement and seems to have the sourcing that health was not a factor, we might as well discuss Jeff Goodman's most recent report that Ron Sanchez will likely be in line to be interim head coach at Virginia.

Sanchez rejoined the program in the summer of 2023 after spending the previous five seasons as the head coach at Charlotte. Prior to that, Sanchez had been on Tony Bennett's coaching staff for 12 seasons, including three years at Washington State and then the first nine seasons of Bennett's tenure at UVA. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2015 and served in that role for his last three seasons in Charlottesville.

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).

UVA Basketball: Tony Bennett's Retirement Opens Transfer Portal for 30 Days

Of course, it's not yet official that Sanchez will be serve as Virginia's interim head coach, but that information should be revealed on Friday morning during Bennett's retirement press conference.

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.