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Tony Bennett has no contract extension yet
By Jay Ballard from Cavalier Connection
The contract status of Tony Bennett was not something I thought I’d be writing about on Memorial Day Weekend, yet here we are. Thanks to the information reported out by the Augusta Free Press, we all now have to wonder, are we living in the last days of Tony Bennett as Head Men’s Basketball Coach at the University of Virginia?
To recap, Coach Bennett has two years remaining on his contract. It is highly unusual in college basketball for a coach of Coach Bennett’s stature to be at this point with no extension seemingly in the works and no one in the athletics department even willing to give a comment on the situation. Having at least four years on a contract is important because it allows a coach to go into the home of a recruit and have some evidence that he will be the coach for a player’s entire time at the school. Player’s often choose a school because of the Head Coach. Rival coaches will certainly use the information that has surfaced against Coach Bennett’s recruiting efforts.
There are also other pieces of evidence that point to Coach Bennett being gone after the 2025-26 season. Assistant Coach Ron Sanchez, who returned to UVa prior to last season after a stint as Head Coach at UNC-Wilmington, has three years left on his contract, while Coach Jason Williford only has two years remaining. This could be nothing but a coincidence, or it could point to a clear successor to Coach Bennett already being chosen. Coach Williford and the University could simply choose to part ways at the conclusion of the two years. Could you blame Coach Williford, a UVa basketball alum, for wanting to leave if he was passed over for the Head Coaching position at his alma mater that he has served at faithfully for well over a decade?
When the Augusta Free Press started reporting on this subject, I thought it was a hot take designed to get clicks. I no longer think that. Contracts that expire in two years for a Hall of Fame level coach just don’t happen. Do you think Coach K or Dean Smith would have ever allowed their contract to dip to this point? The answer is a resounding no. Coach Bennett deserves to choose the date that he leaves the University of Virginia, it’s appearing more and more as if that date will be after the 2025-26 season. As a UVa and Coach Bennett fan, this is one time that I really hope I’m wrong. So what do you think, is this all about clicks or is there huge change coming relatively soon for UVa Men’s Basketball? Regardless, The Cavalier Connection will be here to cover it all! GO HOOS!
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