Tony Bennett. Not the singer. The basketball coach. At the University of Virginia. The two-week search for a replacement for Dave Leitao is over. A report in the Times-Dispatch Monday afternoon has Virginia hiring Bennett away from Washington State, where the 39-year-old rang up a 68-30 record in three seasons and was named the 2007 Associated Press national coach of the year after guiding the Cougars to a 26-8 record and an NCAA Tournament berth.
Washington State was back in the NCAAs in 2008 en route to earning its first Sweet 16 appearance in school history. The Cougars slipped to 16-13 in 2008-2009 and lost in the first round of the NIT.
Bennett is the son of former Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett. Tony Bennett played for his father at Wisconsin-Green Bay and then played three years in the NBA. He coached under his father at Wisconsin and then again at Washington State before being named coach at Washington State following Dick Bennett’s retirement in 2006.
A news conference is expected on Tuesday to formalize the hire, according to the report in the T-D.
– Story by Chris Graham
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