NEW PODCAST: Tony Bennett, Virginia Men's Basketball Coach

By Jason Romano Oct 31, 2018

Tony Bennett (Photo Courtesy: CBS Sports Basketball/Twitter)

THIS IS EPISODE 180 OF THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST

Tony Bennett has been the men’s basketball coach at the University of Virginia since 2009. He’s led the Cavaliers to three ACC regular-season titles and two ACC tournament titles. In 2018, Virginia was the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament after finishing with a 31-3 record. For his accomplishments, Bennett was named the NABC Coach of the Year, the Naismith Coach of the Year and the AP National Coach of the Year.

After playing his college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay under his father Dick Bennett, Tony was selected in the second round of the 1992 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He would go on to a four-year NBA stint from 1992-95 before a foot injury ended his career.

Prior to Virginia, Bennett was the head coach at Washington State, where he brought that program to the national spotlight by winning 26 games in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Coach Bennett about becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, how he was able to face that adversity with humility and grace, where his faith journey in Christ began, why beginning his day in the Lord is a discipline he instilled into his life, how he lives out his faith every day as a prominent coach, and the Bible verse he is clinging to right now.