Breaking: Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett to call it a career

Talk about a surprise just three weeks before the season starts.

In a surprising move, Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett will hang up the whistle after 15 years on the job. The Wisconsin native leaves the collegiate game with an overall record of 433-169 and with one NCAA Tournament national championship under his belt.

The announcement came as a bit of a shock with UVA set to tip off the 2024-25 college basketball season on Nov. 6 against Campbell. With the announcement of his retirement, the Virginia players now have a 30-day window to enter the transfer portal. With the season just three weeks away and the semester already in full swing, they wouldn’t be able to make a move for this year.

While no one has been named the interim as of the time of the announcement, it would make the most sense for Ron Sanchez to assume head coaching duties on an interim basis. Sanchez served on the staff for 10 seasons before taking a head coaching gig with Charlotte and returned this last offseason.

College Sports Wire will monitor the situation and provide more details as it unfolds. A press conference has been scheduled for Friday.