Virginia sets new date to give massive honor to Tony Bennett

The Virginia Cavaliers were ready to roll out the red carpet for their legendary head coach, Tony Bennett.

They planned on dedicating the John Paul Jones Arena court in honor of their former men's basketball head coach in late January, but inclement weather made that impossible.

The Cavaliers have now announced a makeup date, and they've picked a pretty big game for the occasion.

Virginia is planning on honoring Bennett in a pre-game ceremony on Feb. 21. That game will see No. 18 Virginia, currently 19-3 (8-2 ACC), take on the Miami Hurricanes, currently 17-5 (6-3 ACC).
The Cavs are expecting a sold-out crowd.

“Coach Bennett built a culture rooted in integrity, discipline and excellence, one that elevated Virginia men’s basketball into a national power,” Director of Athletics Carla Williams said in a statement. “His impact on our University, our athletic department, and the broader community endures, and we look forward to this special occasion to honor his remarkable legacy at UVA.”

Tony Bennett is a college basketball legend

Bennett coached at Virginia for 15 seasons, from 2009 to 2024. He amassed a 364-136 overall record and took the Cavaliers to the NCAA Tournament 10 times.

They won a national championship in 2019, and the Cavaliers won the ACC regular season six times under Bennett. He won the ACC tournament twice (2013-14, 2017-18) and was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019.

Before Virginia, Bennett coached for three seasons at Washington State, where he went 69-33 and took the Cougars to the NCAA tournament twice. 

In total, Bennet's record as a college basketball head coach was 433-169, which was good for a winning percentage of .719%.

He was also a three-time National Coach of the Year.

An absolute legend, through and through.