National championship-winning Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett is retiring from the sport effectively immediately. That gobsmacking news landed Thursday with just 20 days separating the Cavs and their season opener against Campbell on Nov. 6.
It was announced at Bennett’s press conference Friday that current Cavaliers assistant coach Ron Sanchez, who left his job as head coach at Charlotte in 2023 to rejoin Bennett’s staff after he he previously an assistant at Virginia, will be elevated to interim head coach for this season.
Given the timing and proximity to the start of the regular season, an internal hire always seemed most likely for this season. However, whether Sanchez retains the role and is elevated to the permanent job will be dependent upon how he fares in the coming months and how well he ingratiates himself in the new position. It’s a tough position for Sanchez, who inherits a team in the midst of a chaotic situation, and also for Virginia, which had little choice but to promote from within.
As the coming season plays out, Virginia decision-makers should — and likely will — cast a wide net to gather options for potential successors to Bennett in the meantime if for no other reason than to do due diligence. Sanchez should have every chance to earn the job outright and could be next in line to the throne. But this is a good job, in a good conference, with good resources. There will be good, proven coaches champing at the bit to interview for the job.
Here’s who may or may not be worth watching as UVA decision-makers weigh their options.
Ron Sanchez
Sanchez was one of the original members of Tony Bennett’s staff when he started at Virginia in 2009 and has been an integral piece of building the Cavaliers into the consistent force they are now. Elevating him to interim head coach was the expectation and is now the reality. He left Bennett’s staff in 2018 and had a…
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