Former Badgers assistant and longtime Virginia coach Tony Bennett retires

Major news has hit the world of college basketball.

Nov 23, 2018; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett reacts during the first half of the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Imperial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Clintonville, Wisconsin native and former Badgers assistant coach Tony Bennett is retiring as the head coach of Virginia men's basketball, the school announced on Thursday.

BREAKING: Tony Bennett to announce his immediate retirement in a press conference on Friday at 11 a.m. pic.twitter.com/jw9HYtyYaq

— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) October 17, 2024

Bennett, who played collegiately at Green Bay, was an assistant coach for the Badgers under his father Dick Bennett starting in 1999. He then stayed with the program to begin the Bo Ryan era through 2003.

Bennett, 55, began his head coaching career at Washington State from 2006-09. He then had great success at Virginia for 15 seasons, winning a national championship in 2018-19 and six ACC regular season titles.

With his strong connection to the state of Wisconsin and the Badgers program, Bennett has at various points been rumored as a potential candidate to follow in his father's footsteps and become Wisconsin's head coach since he began to have success, but he always remained at Virginia.

Bennett and the school have not released a statement about the reason for his retirement, but he's scheduled for a press conference on Friday morning at 10 a.m. CT. The timing of this decision with the season right around the corner raises some questions, but Bennett joins Jay Wright as another future Hall of Fame head coach to suddenly retire in his prime.