“The coach was amazing too at the time, Tony Bennett. I would just shoot with him,” said Klay Thompson in a 2022 interview, speaking about the legendary coach’s influence on his game. The 4x NBA Champ also highlighted how Tony Bennett promised him he would reach the league when Klay was just 19 years old. Well, the 55-year-old kept his promise and produced one of the best shooting guards in the league’s history. More importantly, he didn’t restrict himself to China Klay, but a few other shooting sensations.

Before we go into the gems that Bennett developed through his program at the University of Virginia, let’s understand the coach’s style. In his 15-season-long stint with the Virginia Cavaliers, the legendary coach helped the program win their first NCAA Championship in 2019. And, without a doubt, the shooting culture helped the team cross the line.

Speaking of the success, he said, “We had some terrific shooters if you just look at the percentages of our guys and how they improved over the years, it’s a credit to their hard work, their technique, their footwork,” as reported by Noah Basketball. Notably, Kyle Guy, who bagged the MVP in that season, recorded an impressive shooting percentage of 53.3% from the field and 44.4% from deep in the Finals. It’s not just him, Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter also played their part in the team’s shooting exhibitions. Notably, all three of them made it to the league.

Now that we know what to expect from Bennett’s School of Basketball, let’s look into the eleven snipers who graduated from there on the occasion of retirement.

Klay Thompson

Former Golden State Warriors is undoubtedly the best student out of Bennett’s program, winning four NBA titles. Above all, the star shooting guard earned a reputation as one of the most lethal catch-and-shoot threats in the league’s history. In his 11-season-long career span, which is very active even till today, Thompson has recorded a shooting percentage of 45.3 from the field and  41.3 from the arc. Moreover, the star’s best effort came in the 2017-18 season, when the Dubs were chasing a back-to-back, with 48.8 % FG and 44.0% 3-pt FG.

Above all, Thompson beat his Splash Brother Stephen Curry in the 2016 Three-point challenge, scoring 27 points in the final round. Notably, Thompson needs no explanation for his brilliance, in fact, he had credited Bennett for his presence in the league. So, let’s move on to other star shooters.

Joe Harris

33-year-old shooting guard came into the league in the 2014-15 season after spending four years in Bennett’s school. Unfortunately, Joe Harris didn’t have a longer career like Klay, as he retired after the 2023-24 season, representing the Detroit Pistons for only 16 games in the last season. Harris’ best season came in the 2020-21 season, where he produced a mindboggling shooting percentage of 50.5 from the field and 47.5 from the arc. Moreover, it wasn’t just one season. He held it consistently averaging 48% from the field four consecutive seasons during his stint with the Brooklyn Nets. And to top it all, Harris beat Stephen Curry and Buddy Hield in a 3-point competition in 2019.

Malcolm Brogdon

From the class of 2016, Tony Bennett produced yet another ace guard, who went on to create history in the league. In his 8-season-long career, Malcolm Brogdon has established himself as a lethal shooter from all parts of the court. Notably, he became the 8th player in NBA history to record a 50-40-90 shooting percentage in a season. During the 2018-19 season, when he represented the Milwaukee Bucks, he finished the season with 50.5% FG, 42.6% 3-pt FG, and 92.8% from the free throw line. Moreover, Brogdon’s best season came in his fifth season, when he averaged 21.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, and 5.9 apg. Currently, in his 9th season, representing the Wizards, he’s truly a player to watch out for.

Ryan Dunn

Ryan Dunn is probably the last trick out of Tony Bennett’s bag of tricks. Dunn is yet to make his debut in the league, but he has already got the league’s attention with his preseason exploits. The 21-year-old came into the league as the 28th overall pick, selected by the Phoenix Suns. Importantly, the franchises focused on him as a defensive prospect rather than a shooter. In fact, he had made only 7 threes in his college career. However, things took a drastic turn in the preseason, where he averaged 11 ppg, 4 rpg, and 2 blocks per game. Most importantly, he has been shooting at the rate of 44% from the arc, with 7 three-point attempts per game. Once again proving that he’s a Tony Bennett product.

Kyle Guy

This shooting guard won the MVP award during Tony Bennett’s championship year. And undoubtedly entered the league, representing the Kings. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long as he retired at the very young age of 26 and joined the Virginia Cavaliers as an athlete development mentor and special assistant.

Here is the list of other snipers from Bennett’s school that made it big in the NBA

Despite winning only one NCAA championship and not winning a single NCAA game after that, Tony Bennett is considered one of the greatest coaches in the college space. Especially for the players he has created during his stint. One may wonder, why would a successful coach call it quits at a very young age? Well, Bennett didn’t mince any words during his retirement announcement.

In a room filled with emotional energy, Bennett said, “I’m no longer the best coach to lead this program in this current environment.” It seemed as if Bennett wasn’t happy with the NIL culture in college basketball, as it constantly involved transferring players within universities, restricting him from developing a player properly. Nevertheless, an era has come to an end after a 15-year-long stint. Will Ryan Dunn carry his legacy forward? Let us know in the comments.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.