&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Bennett_copy.jpg) Bennett at the Barclays Center in 2014–15 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 1, 1969 Clintonville, Wisconsin, U.S.[1] |
| Playing career | |
| 1988–1992 | Green Bay |
| 1992–1995 | Charlotte Hornets |
| 1996–1997 | North Harbour Vikings |
| Position(s) | Point guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1998–1999 | North Harbour Kings |
| 1999–2003 | Wisconsin (assistant) |
| 2003–2004 | Washington State (assistant) |
| 2004–2006 | Washington State (associate HC) |
| 2006–2009 | Washington State |
| 2009–2024 | Virginia |
| National | |
| 2013 | USA U-19 (assistant) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 433–169 (.719) |
| Tournaments | 16–11 (NCAA Division I) 4–3 (NIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| 3× Henry Iba Award (2007, 2015, 2018) 2× Naismith College Coach of the Year (2007, 2018) 2× AP National Coach of the Year (2007, 2018) NABC Coach of the Year (2018) Jim Phelan Award (2007) Sporting News Coach of the Year (2007) 4× ACC Coach of the Year (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019) Pac-10 Coach of the Year (2007) 3× USBWA District 3 Coach of the Year (2015, 2016, 2018) 2× Academic All-American (1991, 1992) Academic All-American of the Year (1991) Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (1992) 2× MCC Player of the Year (1991, 1992) | |
| Records | |
| Coach Single-season win records at both Virginia (35) and Washington State (26, twice) Player NCAA record for career three-point field goal percentage (49.7%) | |
Medal record | |
Anthony Guy Bennett (born June 1, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player and NCAA coach. From 2009 to 2024 he was the head coach of the University of Virginia men's team, with whom he won the NCAA Championship in 2019.[2] 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 ten or more consecutive winning ACC records[a][3][4]—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.[5] 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.[6][7] 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.[6] 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.[8] 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.[9][10] His player Trey Murphy III recorded the only college 50–40–90 season from any ACC team.[11]
Originally inheriting the worst Virginia team by record since 1967, his Cavalier squads had 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.[12][13][14] The defensive style of basketball he taught at UVA was often compared to a boa constrictor choking out opponents,[15][16][17][18] and his teams were also known for their unselfish play and tempo control.[19][20][21]
- ^ "Game 14 vs. NC State, Charlottesville, Va. (John Paul Jones Arena)" (PDF). p. 2. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ^ Norm Wood. "Bennett begins task after day of praise". The Daily Press, April 2, 2009. Accessed April 11, 2019
- ^ David 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.
- ^ Barry Jacobs. "He’s The GOAT To Everyone - Except ACC Sportswriters". SB Nation, September 13, 2021. Accessed November 25, 2021.
- ^ a b The Summit League. "The Summit League Record Book". Accessed February 5, 2015
- ^ NCAA. "2016–17 NCAA Men's Basketball Records – Division I, p.2 – Individual Records" (PDF). Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ Jeff Eisenberg. "Coaching was a Path Virginia's Bennett Once Resisted". Yahoo Sports, March 5, 2014. Accessed February 8, 2015
- ^ 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.
- ^ Brenden Welper. "Every member of DI men's basketball's 50-40-90 club". NCAA, May 6, 2021. Accessed May 26, 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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". 247 Sports, December 4, 2017. Accessed December 5, 2017.
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