Anthony Guy Bennett (born June 1, 1969) is an American NBA draft advisor, former professional basketball player and college basketball coach. From 2009 to 2024, he was the head coach of the University of Virginia men's team, with whom he won an NCAA championship in 2019.Norm Wood. "Bennett begins task after day of praise". The Daily Press, April 2, 2009. Accessed April 11, 2019 Bennett is a three-time recipient of the Henry Iba Award, two-time Naismith College Coach of the Year, and two-time AP Coach of the Year.
He is one of three coaches in history (with Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski) to lead his program to 10 or more consecutive winning ACC recordsDavid Teel. "Teel: Victory over UNC elevates UVA's Bennett into rare company". Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 13, 2021. Accessed February 14, 2021.Megan Plain. "No. 9 Virginia men's hoops faces No. 17 Florida State". WTKR Channel 3, February 15, 2021. Accessed February 16, 2021.—retiring with a streak of 13—and is one of three coaches (also with Smith and Krzyzewski) to be named ACC Coach of the Year four or more times.Barry Jacobs. "He’s The GOAT To Everyone - Except ACC Sportswriters". SB Nation, September 13, 2021. Accessed November 25, 2021. He coached 500 games at Virginia, winning 364 (72.8%) of them, edging out Pop Lannigan (72.7%) to hold Virginia's highest winning percentage in school history; he also holds that record at Washington State (winning 67.6%). He is the all-time wins leader at Virginia and holds or shares the single-season wins record at both UVA and WSU. He led the Virginia program to two of its three ACC Tournament championships and one of its three Final Four appearances.
As a 5'11" point guard, Bennett ranks first in NCAA history for career three-point field goal accuracy at 49.7%, shooting above 50% from range in both his junior and senior seasons.The Summit League. "The Summit League Record Book". Accessed February 5, 2015 He started for the United States national team at the 1991 Pan American Games, was awarded the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation's top player under six feet tall, and was named Academic All-American of the Year. Bennett starred for the Green Bay Phoenix under his father, Dick Bennett, who later took Wisconsin to the 2000 Final Four using an earlier version of the packline defense Bennett perfected at Virginia.
Bennett played three years in the NBA for the Charlotte Hornets and after an injury, several more professionally in Australia and New Zealand where he started coaching.Jeff Eisenberg. "Coaching was a Path Virginia's Bennett Once Resisted". Yahoo Sports, March 5, 2014. Accessed February 8, 2015 He since coached several players at the college level who've gone on to be known for shooting prowess in the NBA, such as Malcolm Brogdon (eighth 50–40–90 shooter in NBA history), Joe Harris (led NBA in three-point accuracy in 2018–19 and in 2020–21) and Klay Thompson (one-half of the Splash Brothers). Both Harris and Thompson have won the Three-Point Contest at the NBA All-Star Game.Tom Dowd. "JOE HARRIS: 3-POINT CONTEST CHAMPION". National Basketball Association, February 17, 2019. Accessed August 26, 2021.Michael Mulford. "Warriors All-Star Rewind: Klay Thompson wins 2016 3-point contest". USA Today, March 6, 2021. Accessed August 26, 2021. His player Trey Murphy III recorded the only college 50–40–90 season from any ACC team.Brenden Welper. "Every member of DI men's basketball's 50-40-90 club". NCAA, May 6, 2021. Accessed May 26, 2024.
Originally inheriting the worst Virginia team by record since 1967, Bennett led his Cavalier squads to four 30-win seasons, won the NCAA tournament championship with a 35–3 team in 2019, won ACC tournaments in 2014 and in 2018, and won or shared 6 ACC regular season titles. Known for coaching defensive intensity, Bennett was ranked the top defensive coach in college basketball by a CBS Sports poll of head coaches in 2015 and by ESPN Insider in 2018.John Gasaway. "The Coaches Most Defined by Defensive Excellence: Tony Bennett Wins... in a Walk". ESPN Insider, September 20, 2018. Accessed October 14, 2018.Sam Vecenie. "Candid Coaches: Who is the best defensive coach in college basketball?". CBS Sports, August 24, 2015. Accessed August 24, 2015. Archived article accessed March 30, 2019.Tomer Langer. "Jim Boeheim Calls UVA Head Coach Tony Bennett Best Defensive Coach in Country...". The Daily Orange, January 8, 2018. Accessed March 30, 2019. The defensive style of basketball he taught at UVA was often compared to a boa constrictor choking out opponents,Shane Ryan. "Is Virginia the Least-Respected Great Team in College Hoops History?". Grantland, March 26, 2014. Accessed January 28, 2018.Jay Bilas. "Jay Bilas: The Best Things I've Seen So Far: Volume 2". ESPN, January 24, 2018. Accessed January 28, 2018.Norm Wood. "U.Va. still seeking secondary scoring options to pair with Perrantes". The Daily Press, January 19, 2017. Accessed January 28, 2018.Scott Phillips. "National Title Game Likely to be Defensive Struggle Between Virginia and Texas Tech". NBC Sports, April 7, 2019. Accessed April 8, 2019. and his teams were also known for their unselfish play and tempo control.Jordan Ritter Conn. "How Tony Bennett Turned Virginia Into College Basketball's Spurs". The Ringer, March 1, 2018. Accessed March 2, 2018.David Teel. "Virginia Need Not Apologize for Pace, Defensive Excellence". The Daily Press, February 18, 2015. Accessed December 5, 2017.Jamie Oakes. "Isaiah Wilkins Takes Hilarious Jab at Former UVA Teammate London Perrantes". 247Sports, December 4, 2017. Accessed December 5, 2017.
Biography and playing career
College
Bennett, a point guard, played for his father Dick Bennett at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay (UWGB) following his high school career at Stevens Point Area Senior High School and Preble High School. The Bennetts led the Phoenix to an NCAA tournament berth and two appearances in the NIT. During his time there, the Green Bay Phoenix had a record of 87–34 (.719) en route to Bennett being twice named as the conference's Player of the Year. He was awarded the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award given to the nation's most outstanding senior under six feet tall and was named the 1992 GTE Academic All-American of the year. He also started for a bronze medal-winning 1991 Pan-American Games team led by Gene Keady. He finished his collegiate career as the Mid-Continent Conference's all-time leader in points (2,285) and assists (601), and still ranks as the entire NCAA's all-time leader in 3-point field goal accuracy. He made 80 of 150 (53.3%) three-point field goal attempts in his junior season and repeated the feat of hitting over half of his three-point attempts during his senior season, making 95 of 186 (51.1%)."Tony Bennett player statistics". Sports-Reference.com. Accessed April 8, 2019 He was also incredibly accurate on two-point field goal attempts for a guard, connecting on 502 of 917 (54.7%) two-point attempts for his college career.
Professional Bennett went on to be selected in the 1992 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He spent three seasons (1992–1995) with steadily increasing playing time for the Hornets as the backup point guard to Muggsy Bogues (the Hornets' all-time leader in assists and steals) before a foot injury ended Bennett's NBA career. With an eye toward returning to the NBA, Bennett left for Australia in 1996 to play for the Sydney Kings of Australia's National Basketball League while rehabbing his ankle but the contract fell throughGrant Chapman. "Kiwi Jack Salt Takes Alternative Route to Basketball Stardom". Newshub, March 4, 2019. Accessed October 18, 2020 within ten days of arriving and Bennett soon moved to New Zealand to briefly play for a team called the "Burger King Kings" in Auckland.Joshua Cooley. "Tony Bennett: Sharing the Victory". Fellowship of Christian Athletes, 2007. Accessed September 29, 2020 Bennett has joked that the team was paid in Whoppers. He then joined the North Harbour Vikings, became its star player, and in his second year there became a dual-role player and head coach. He completed his playing career as a two-time New Zealand NBL All-Star Five honoree and a two-time Keith Carr Trophy winner for being the league's Most Outstanding Guard in both his years there.
Coaching career Bennett wanted to understand everything about the game of basketball to the point that, even as an NBA player, teammates felt he would rather learn and study the game than participate in it.Tony Bennett: NBA Career is Forgotten Except By Those Who Saw a Future Coach, accessed January 28, 2017 Bennett's teams, especially at Virginia, are known for their motion offense and stifling defense which features his version of the "pack line" defensive strategy famously devised by his father. The pack line is designed to clog up potential driving lanes to the paint by forcing ball handlers to the middle of the floor where more "help" is concentrated. It forces opposing teams to pass and shoot well, while limiting dribble penetration and post play.
Coaching beginnings In 1998, Bennett continued as head coach of the North Harbour Kings (who had changed their name from Vikings) but retired early as a player. His time there taught him he was able to coach without the anxiety he had seen his father experience coaching back in Wisconsin, and convinced him that he could undertake the stressful life of a coach while maintaining his integrity and peace of mind. After the 1999 season, he returned to the U.S. to become his father's team manager so that they could spend time together. Tony Bennett was then able to get a firsthand experience of Wisconsin's run to the 2000 Final Four as a part of the staff under Dick Bennett.
After his father retired, Bo Ryan retained Bennett on his staff and there he remained until 2003, when Dick Bennett came out of retirement to coach Washington State. After one season as assistant coach, Bennett was designated as his father's successor and promoted to associate head coach.
Washington State
Tony Bennett accepted the position of head coach at Washington State when his father retired in 2006. Washington State's success immediately skyrocketed under the younger Bennett, and his 26 wins in both the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons tied a 66-year-old school record set by the team that reached the Championship Game of the 1941 NCAA tournament.
2006–07: School record 26 wins Bennett led the 2006–07 Cougars basketball team to a 26–8 (13–5 Pac-10, second place) record and the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Cougars earned a No. 3 seed and defeated Oral Roberts in the opening round before falling to Vanderbilt in double overtime in the second round. The NCAA tournament appearance was the first for the Cougars since 1994, breaking a 13-year March Madness drought for the Cougars.
After the 2006–07 season, Bennett was given the prestigious Henry Iba Award by vote of the United States Basketball Writers Association, and was named the AP college basketball Coach of the Year and the Naismith College Coach of the Year. He was also named the Rivals.com Coach of the Year.Rivals.com College Basketball – Rivals.com Coach of the Year: Tony Bennett
2007–08: 26 wins and Indiana offer
During the 2007–08 season, Bennett finished with a 26–9 record (11–7 in the Pac-10). He also went on to lead the Cougars to the Sweet Sixteen after beating Winthrop and Notre Dame in the first and second rounds. After losing to North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen, Bennett's team had again reached the school record for wins, with 26.