VirginiaSports.com was able to catch up with new Cavalier basketball coach Tony Bennett Tuesday, his first day on Grounds. Here's a 10-question Q/A to help Wahoo fans get to know their new coach. Bennett will hold a press conference Wednesday at 1 p.m. that will be streamed live on VirginiaSports.com. The webcast is free.
Question: What have you done on your first day at Virginia? Bennett: “I’ve met with a lot of people and have really enjoyed it. What I really enjoyed was meeting the young men on the team. I was excited to look into their eyes and to talk to them and start the process of getting to know them. I also enjoyed meeting Barry Parkhill, Dirk Katstra, coach Groh and Leonard Sandridge and some of the leadership here. It has been a whirlwind, but like I said, what I really enjoyed was meeting the young men in the program.”
Question: You met with the UVa players today. What did you say to them? Bennett: “I just wanted them to relax. For two weeks they have been without a coach. I wanted them to be able to put a name to a face and ensure them that we are going to do this thing together. I wanted to instill in them what some of my vision was for this program. I answered any questions they had. I asked them all their majors and found out a little bit about them, where they are from.
We just talked. It was good. It was hopefully the start of a nice relationship. I wanted them to know I was going to push them hard, but I was going to care for them greatly as young men. I told them how excited I was to start working with them.”
Question: What attracted you to this position? Bennett: “It was the opportunity to do something special. It’s coaching in the ACC. It’s working at an academic institution that is one of the best in the world. The facilities here are second to none. The people seem to be tremendous. It is a place you can raise a family. I think, at Virginia, you can be about the right stuff.
“It would have taken a lot to get me out of Washington State because I really believed in what was going on there. I felt this was an opportunity to compete and to do something special.”
Question: What would you like UVa fans to know about you and the way your teams will compete? Bennett: “They will see great passion, great soundness and toughness. As I learn more about the young men in this program and the young men we are bringing in, we need to find the best way to give us a chance to be successful. You have to look at your personnel and adjust to it. You have to find a way to compete at a high level and I think that’s what we will do. I think we will play real hard and hopefully there will be a level of soundness that all good teams have.”
Question: What are your impressions of John Paul Jones Arena and UVa’s basketball facilities? Bennett: “When Arizona opened up the building, I remember watching that game. The arena already has an unbelievable reputation. Seeing it in person, it did not disappoint. I love the fact the facilities are self-contained with the weight room and academic advising and the dining hall, all here under the same roof. It is second to none. It is very exciting.”
Question: You were an Academic All-American and your teams at Washington State earned numerous Pac-10 All-Academic honors while being highly competitive in the league. Do you consider UVa’s high academic standards a challenge? Bennett: “That was one of the things that brought me here. I saw firsthand the success Stanford had out west. I am so excited about selling that to the players we are going to recruit. There is a complete package here. When you leave this university with a degree, you are set. It really fits what I am about with the whole student-athlete experience. I want them to have an opportunity to compete, and attend a world class institution, that is a tremendous advantage. It is a strong point at this University and I like what it is about.”
Question: Talk about the opportunity to coach in the ACC after having been on coaching staffs in the Big Ten and Pac-10. Bennett: “The league I came from, the Pac-10, has great prestige with programs like UCLA and Arizona. It has great coaching. To be among those schools and to compete for conference championships, and to go head-to-head with those coaches was a thrill and a great challenge. It was enjoyable to test yourself against those teams. Now, coming to a league like the ACC, which many believe, me included, is the best in college basketball year in and year out, it will be a great challenge to compete against the great teams here and see where we stand.”
Question: What was the toughest thing about telling your players at Washington State you were leaving? Bennett: “Well, there was an investment there. There were deep relationships built. You had been through the wars together – the great successes and the hard losses. You watched those young men grow. You never plan on leaving when you are recruiting them. When an opportunity like this presents itself, it is hard to look those kids in the eye and tell them you are not going to be their coach anymore. The one good thing I felt about at Washington State is that there is some promising young talent. They’ll find a good coach and there are good things on the horizon for them. From that standpoint, I feel better about it, but that does not make it easy to sit with those kids and deliver that news. It was very difficult.”
Question: After the formalities that come with being named the head coach are over, what are your immediate priorities? Bennett: “I have to get a staff assembled and then it is about working with the young men in this program and investing in them. At the same time, we need to recruit real hard and get involved with the kids who are potential University of Virginia players and sell the vision. I need to meet with the young men who have signed and their parents and assure them of what is in store. I need to find a house and I need to find a good restaurant. There are a lot of things. Your first 30 days, it is a whirlwind. I want to meet as many people as I can. I want to meet the students on the Grounds. I’ve learned that term already. I want to familiarize myself with the University, its history and its traditions.”
Question: You played and coached for your father, Dick Bennett, what has been his best advice for you? Bennett: “Be yourself and play in such a way to win.”
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