College basketball shocker: Virginia men’s coach Tony Bennett is retiring

University of Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett, who led the Cavaliers to the 2019 national championship, is retiring, the school confirmed Thursday. Bennett will formally announce his retirement at a news conference Friday morning, the school said.

Bennett accepted the UVa job prior to the 2009-10 season following a three-year stint at Washington State. Overall, he amassed a career record of 433-169, including a 364-136 mark with the Cavaliers, and was named national coach of the year three times.

His national title squad earned a huge measure of redemption after becoming the first No. 1 regional seed to lose to a No. 16, Maryland-Baltimore County, in the opening round the previous year.

The announcement less than three weeks prior to the start of the new season comes as a surprise and one week after he appeared at ACC media day. The Cavaliers ended last year in the NCAA tournament but lost to Colorado State in a lackluster showing in the First Four.

Bennett then signed an offer sheet in June that extended his deal with the school for four years through 2030 and kept his compensation at more than $4 million per year .

“I love UVA and it has always been a special place for me and my family,” Bennett said in a release when the contract was announced this summer. ‘My staff and I look forward to adapting to the new landscape of college athletics. We will continue to build one of the best basketball programs on and off the court without compromising the values of our university.”

The school did not immediately announce plans for who would replace Bennett. Associate head coach Ron Sanchez is starting his 11th season on Bennett’s staff. He left in 2018 to coach Charlotte for five seasons and returned to Virginia before last season. Jason Williford is the team’s other associate head coach. A former Cavaliers player, Williford has been on Bennett’s staff since Bennett was hired at Virginia in 2009.

Earlier this week, UVa was picked to finish fifth in the ACC in preseason media balloting.

(This story was updated with additional information.)