Bennett’s contract extended through 2029-30 season

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

University of Virginia Dean and Markel Families Men’s Head Basketball Coach Tony Bennett has signed a contract extension, Director of Athletics Carla Williams announced Thursday.

Bennett’s extension will keep him under contract at UVA until April 30, 2030. If Bennett is UVA’s head coach on April 30, 2026, the contract has an automatic one-year rollover extending him until April 30, 2031.

“Tony Bennett is foundational to our efforts to compete for championships in this new model of college athletics,” Williams said. “He embodies everything important to the University of Virginia and Virginia Athletics. It’s an honor to work with him and we’re thrilled about the future of men’s basketball under his leadership.”

Bennett will enter his 16th season at UVA in 2024-25. He has guided the Cavaliers to one NCAA championship (2019), two ACC tournament titles (2014 and 2018) and six ACC regular-season championships (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023). Bennett has earned two of his three National Coach of the Year honors at UVA (2015 and 2018) and is a four-time ACC Coach of the Year recipient.

He has posted a 364-136 record at Virginia and guided the Cavaliers to 12 consecutive postseason appearances. UVA has won 23 or more games in 10 seasons under Bennett, who has a 433-169 career collegiate coaching record. Bennett passed the late Terry Holland (326-173, 16 seasons) as UVA’s all-time winningest coach with the win over Syracuse during the 2022-23 season.

“I love UVA and it has always been a special place for me and my family,” Bennett said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with Carla Williams and Jim Ryan and to represent the University of Virginia. My staff and I look forward to adapting to the new landscape of college athletics. We will continue to build one of the best basketball programs on and off the court without compromising the values of our university. Go Hoos!”