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Kyle Guy will not be remaining on the coaching staff of the Virginia men's basketball program moving forward. The 2019 Final Four Most Outstanding Player returned to Charlottesville last August after a five-year professional basketball career as an Athlete Development Mentor and Special Assistant. But after a whirlwind season that began with Tony Bennett's retirement and ended with Ryan Odom being named the new head coach of the program, it was unclear if any of Bennett's staff, of which Guy was the newest member, would be retained under Odom's regime.
Guy announced in a social media post on Monday afternoon (April 7) that he is leaving Virginia and will be moving on "to a new coaching opportunity." See Guy's full message below:
"In August, I made the decision to retire from professional basketball and return to the University of Virginia to pursue my passion of coaching. This past year has been a full-circle experience. Getting to work with Coach Bennett and Coach Sanchez and the rest of the staff again was beyond fulfilling. I owe them more than words can portray. Although I would've loved to stay in Charlottesville forever, it's time to move on to a new coaching opportunity. I want to thank the Virginia community/fans for your constant support; it's truly been an honor to give back to the place that helped shape me both as a player and as a person." - Kyle Guy
Grateful excited for what’s next pic.twitter.com/eJmBNifDiM
— Kyle J Guy (@kylejguy) April 7, 2025
After leading the Cavaliers to the 2019 National Championship, Guy was selected with the 55th overall pick in the second round of the NBA Draft by the New York Knicks and ultimately moved to the Sacramento Kings. He spent three years in the NBA, including two seasons with Sacramento and one with the Miami Heat, before going overseas to play in Spain and Greece for the next two seasons.
Desiring to complete his unfinished degree at the University of Virginia and given an opportunity by Tony Bennett to join his staff in a special assistant role, Kyle Guy decided to retire from his basketball playing career last summer and begin his coaching career.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kyle and his family back to Charlottesville,” Bennett said of Guy last August. “Kyle is not only one of the best players I’ve ever coached, but also one of the finest young men I’ve met. He will make an immediate impact on our program, working with our players and sharing the expertise and competitive fire he’s gained throughout his collegiate and professional career.”
Of course, Guy returned to Virginia under the pretense that he would be serving on Tony Bennett's staff. He never got the chance to actually coach alongside his former college coach, as Bennett retired 20 days before the season began. Ron Sanchez was named the interim head coach and the Cavaliers struggled to a 15-17 season that ended with a second round loss in the ACC Tournament.
Before and after Ryan Odom was named the new head coach, there was speculation that Guy could be retained on the new staff. There was evidence that he had done well in his mentoring and development role and keeping such a fan favorite in the program could have been an easy way for Odom to start to win the fanbase over right away.
But by now, it's become clear that Ryan Odom intends to completely wipe the slate clean as a brand new era of Virginia basketball begins. His staff is unlikely to include any of the members of Bennett's staff and, of the 12 scholarship players on the 2024-2025 UVA men's basketball roster, only one - redshirt sophomore guard Elijah Gertrude - is currently expected to return next year.
While it is unfortunate that Kyle Guy's return to Grounds lasted less than a year, there is no question that he remains one of the greatest figures in Virginia men's basketball history and he will certainly find many doors open to him as he leaves Charlottesville to begin the next steps of his coaching career.
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