Sanchez believes he deserves to keep his job

By Jerry Ratcliffe

CHARLOTTE — When Ron Sanchez returned to Virginia’s coaching staff a couple of years ago, he never planned his next step in the profession would be “interim.”

That phase of his career, suddenly thrust upon him without warning back in October when Tony Bennett walked away from basketball, is now over for Sanchez. His UVA team, despite a furious late rally, lost a 66-60 decision to Georgia Tech on Wednesday in the second round of the ACC Tournament.

Virginia finished the season with its first losing record since 2010, ending 15-17, dropping 5 of its last 7 games.

Sanchez’ fate will be determined by athletic director Carla Williams, who sent out a letter to donors earlier in the week, noting that Virginia will announce its decision between the opening and the close of the national signing portal, March 24 through April 22.

During Wednesday’s postgame interviews at the Spectrum Center, Sanchez’s eyes misted up when he listened to UVA star Isaac McNeely describe how the coach helped the team navigate stormy seas all season long. To Sanchez, winning and losing wasn’t as important as keeping Virginia’s culture alive. He believes he has done enough to earn the job fulltime, to boot the interim tag, but realizes it’s not his decision.

Asked if he deserves the opportunity to keep his job, Sanchez didn’t flinch.

“Absolutely,” he flashed. “I’m a good basketball coach. I have confidence in that I’ve been tutored by the right people.

“People can measure it with wins and losses, but there’s much more than the 30 games that you play. It’s how you treat people, how you manage, what kind of leader are you? Anybody can do this when it’s easy.”

The longtime sidekick of Bennett at Washington State and Virginia, Sanchez said he was actually thankful for the hard times he and the program suffered through, even more so than the victories they experienced together, because he says it made him 10 times better as a coach than he was in October.

Sanchez certainly earned the respect of his players, and McKneely praised his coach after the loss to Georgia Tech. When it boiled down to culture, McKneely, who scored 27 points  (7 of 11 triples), told it like it was.

“[Sanchez] showed up every day, giving his all,” McKneely said. “He came prepared to practice. He was energetic at practice. He did a great job, even through the losses, of keeping us together after the games. Credit him for that.”

McKneely pointed out how Sanchez had been put in a tough situation before the season when Bennett decided to step down completely out of the blue. One projected starter and a transfer immediately left the program, adding to the adversity the team had to deal with from Day One. Sanchez never complained, even though he was taking over a program with one senior, maybe Virginia’s youngest team over the entire Bennett era.

Faith and his coaching staff helped sustain Sanchez throughout the challenging campaign, admitting it was incredibly difficult.

Sanchez couldn’t help but get choked up hearing what McKneely said, the captain speaking for his teammates. They all appreciated what Sanchez did under the circumstances.

“Coaches want their players to say what [McKneely] just said,” Sanchez pointed out. “Which was, ‘Coach brought energy … he was encouraging … he appreciated me.’ Basically that he loved me.”

Sanchez had his own definition for what success for Virginia basketball was this season. It had nothing to do with the scoreboard or the record.

Instead, “It literally was what [McKneely] just said,” Sanchez shared.

He knew he had big shoes to fill. He never wanted to be Tony Bennett, who Sanchez called a massive figure, not just in the Commonwealth, but in college basketball. He wouldn’t have minded having some of the pro players on his roster that Bennett enjoyed, but did the best he could with the hand he was dealt.

“This is a heavy crown,” Sanchez said. “I’m fortunate that I had a chance to wear it. I’ve been through hard times before and I knew that this storm was going to pass. Nothing is forever.”

On Wednesday, he was just proud of his team for fighting back, fighting to the end after being down by 13 points and rallying back to within one possession in the final minute. That’s the culture he’s proud of. His team didn’t quit.

Now he sits and waits the outcome of a national coaching search that has been quietly carried out for months. Sanchez hasn’t had a formal sitdown with Williams, an interview to plead his case.

“I believe that I’ve had four months to do that,” Sanchez said of this basketball season serving as his resume. “I think that Carla and her advisors gave me the opportunity to interview every day. My job now is done, my interview is over and whatever they decide will be what’s best for the University of Virginia, and I am going to be very supportive of whatever they decide.

“I love this place. No matter what happens, Virginia has my respect, my love, and I will continue to appreciate this place for all that it has done for me throughout the years.”