The University of Virginia announces the sudden resignation of basketball coach Tony Bennett

CNN
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University of Virginia men's basketball head coach Tony Bennett will announce his sudden resignation Friday, according to the university.

A three-time national coach of the year, Bennett compiled a 364-136 record with the Cavaliers. He led the men's program to their first NCAA national championship in 2019, a year after Virginia was famously upset in the first round of March Madness.

In 2018, UVA was the No. 1 seed and a heavy favorite to beat No. 16 seed University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in the annual NCAA men's postseason basketball tournament. The Retrievers made history when they defeated the Bennett-led Cavaliers and became the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in tournament history.

To his credit, Bennett orchestrated one of the most remarkable redemption stories in sports history a year later.

UVA returned to the title game again the following year as a No. 1 seed, defeating Texas Tech in overtime to secure the program's first title.

During his 15-year tenure as head coach of the Cavaliers, Virginia won two ACC tournament titles and six ACC regular season championships.

Bennett and Virginia agreed to a contract extension in the offseason that would have kept him in the program through 2030. The school gave no reason for his sudden resignation.

Bennett will officially announce his retirement at a press conference at John Paul Jones Arena on Friday, October 18 at 11 a.m. ET.

Virginia men's basketball will open its season Nov. 6 against Campbell.