“I wish I could have gone longer,” Tony Bennett said upon announcing his retirement. He had signed a contract extension in June and could have stayed with the Virginia Cavaliers till 2030. But after 15 years of hard work, the decorated head coach is stepping down from his position effective immediately. While the bomb dropped yesterday, fans are still reeling from the revelation. And it makes one think, what next?

Part of Bennett’s decision to retire, as he stated in the press conference following the news, had to do with him wanting to spend more time with his family. But he has also repeatedly stated, “I’m no longer the best coach to lead this program in this current environment.” The current environment is the increased focus of college athletics on NIL more than ever. “Maybe I can be an advocate for student-athletes and the coaches,” Bennett said, per ESPN reporter Jeff Borzello.

He also reported, “Tony Bennett now talking about the potential need for the collective bargaining, salary cap, transfer regulations, limitations on agent involvement. Mentions mental health concerns for student-athletes.” Bennett’s issue lies with not just name, image, and likeness but also with the transfer portal which has long been evident. The retired coach revealed in the press conference that he is not entirely against them when they’re helping student-athletes gain more popularity.

And yet Bennett claims that the current game is not in a “healthy spot,” and he liked to do things the “old way.” Joining Virginia in 2009, the 55-year-old led the Cavaliers to consistent success. Even though their last championship win came in 2019, Bennett had a record of 364–136 in Virginia, and 433-169 overall in his coaching experience.

Now that his time on the sidelines of the court is done, he’s looking for his next gig to support “these young guys,” as he called them. But while Tony Bennett might have something planned for himself, what next for Virginia? Ron Sanchez is the interim head coach for the next season, but will the former associate head coach be able to retain his job?

Will Ron Sanchez’s gamble to work for Tony Bennett again in 2023 pay off?

Over the years, Ron Sanchez became an integral part of Tony Bennett’s coaching journey, from three years at Washington State and then nine years at UVA. But a time would come when his talents would lead him to a head coach job, which they did in 2018. Sanchez went to Charlotte and spent 5 years as the head coach, putting the team back on the map. Then he did the unthinkable.

Sanchez came back to UVA to work as associate head coach under Tony Bennett once again, possibly looking at the future to take over Bennett’s position once he stepped down from it. Sanchez might not have imagined it would come this early, but his old boss believes he’s the right person for the job.

“I always hoped that when my time was done, whether it was Ron or Jason [Williford], the two associate head coaches, that someone would take this over,” Bennett said at the press conference. “Because it means it’s in a good place.”

Although Virginia has announced that after the 2024-25 season is over, they will be conducting a nationwide search for more coaching options. Till then, Sanchez has plenty of opportunity to prove why he should be the man for the job. It could just be due diligence that UVA has to do and they might prefer to keep someone internal, who has been with the team during their glory era. Tony Bennett certainly trusts him, so it’s time to get to work!