Virginia Men's Basketball Coach Tony Bennett Will Stunningly Retire on Friday

Last week, Virginia men's basketball coach Tony Bennett was all smiles at the annual ACC Men's Basketball Tipoff in Charlotte, North Carolina. The championship winning coach certainly sounded like someone who was ready for the 2024-25 season to begin.

As it turns out, that will not be the case.

Thursday afternoon, it was announced that Bennett will announce his retirement on Friday morning in an 11 a.m. press conference in Charlottesville. The upcoming season is scheduled to begin in less than three weeks and the Cavaliers will have a new coach in charge when they take the floor.

Virginia coach Tony Bennett to retire Friday morning

This is an announcement that will send shockwaves not only through the Commonwealth, but the ACC and across college basketball. Bennett is five years removed from leading Virginia to the National Championship in 2019. It was one year after their stunning first round NCAA Tournament exit as a No. 1 seed against No. 16 UMBC.

This is a stunning decision and according to Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68, it is not health-related and it can't be ruled out because of the changing landscape of college basketball. If so, it's an odd time to step down. Now all eyes are going to be on the program as Virginia players have 30 days to enter the transfer portal, but with the season less than three weeks away, it's highly unlikely that many, if any, will enter the portal. If they do, that could have a huge impact on how the Cavaliers' 2024-25 season goes, but it would be stunning if any players decided to.

It will be very odd when Virginia Tech and Virginia battle in 2024-25 and beyond with no Tony Bennett on the Cavaliers sideline opposite the Hokies.