Will probably be like Tonyās tenure when we go early on when we suck and then never again
Coach Bennett demonstrated that the way for Virginia to compete at the highest levels was to recruit solid players, and keep them in the program for four or five years while they develop. I agree that he probably left due to the fact that this approach would not work very well going forward. And, this is a cause for concern. Virginia has never been successful recruiting against the blue bloods. Ralph and Wally are probably the only exceptions of significance. That isnāt going to change. Additionally, I suspect Virginia is going to be further hampered in the transfer market. Transferring academic credits successfully is going to limit the available pool of candidates. I think Virginia can be successful with the right coach, but I am a bit skeptical that we will see Bennett-esque success until there are changes in the NCAA. Getting those elite players which everyone covets is more difficult now than ever. Duke, UNC, and Kentucky will continue to swoop in at the last moment and lure away those who do show interest in UVa. Itās just a new reality.
Kyle/Ty/Dre stayed for 3. Dre played for two
Your ex post marketing material here doesnāt match the facts
I donāt understand why so many Hoofans are stuck on āVirginia wonāt changeā when they are quite literally telling us to our faces that theyāre changing. $7 million in NIL. I know weāre conditioned toward pessimism, but Jesus Christ! Itās right there, bandied about openly.
I kinda agree with your takeaway, but my point is that memories are getting hazy and gauzy hereā¦
Tony was already running a win now program with one-year guys filling key roles (Brax**, Kihei). He didnāt have to change THAT MUCH but the problem was he didnāt want to change AT ALL
** A no-sit transfer, by the way!! 
While they were in the program for only three years, they were surrounded by players who were there four and five years. Perrantes, Hall, Wilkins, & Salt were significant parts of Virginiaās success. Huff and Diakite also were there for five years. There was stability among the rotation players. In the post-Covid/portal/NIL ear, not so much.
Iāll also add that in the past two seasons, each squad has had only two players with as much as three years in the program, and Murray was one of those each year. Thatās a significant difference between recent teams and those of the teens.
Honestly, I donāt think Tony knew what the hell he was doing the last few years. He preached continuity/development, yet he brought in a good number of portal guys. Then he wanted to hit the reset button with his latest ā2-year planā which he bailed on after 6 months. I had once heard him say if that didnāt work out, he might as well recruit all seniors. I honestly couldnāt tell if that was snark/sarcasm or if he was being dead serious.
Regardless, it was obvious he hated the current climate.
As well he should have. It sucks.
I donāt want to hear $7 million. I donāt know what that means relative to the rest of the college basketball world. I want to hear āwhatever it takes.ā
But then again, itās not my money, so I can probably go eff right off with my āwhatever it takesā takes. 
He preached continuity yet wasnāt willing to do one single thing to actually achieve it. Other than complain.
I basically think Tony was on the slow train to āAh, f*** this sh**ā since the natty, but couldnāt admit it to himself or UVa until this past fall. Which, to be clear is totally understandable and relatable!
And, yet, Virginia still won 70% of its post championship games, and only Duke surpassed UVa in ACC contests. I think too many opinions of Coach Bennett are colored by the lack of NCAAT wins, and there are multiple reasons for that which have nothing to do with coaching, style of play, etc.
One area where I think the program could use a little less continuity is @haneyās takes on what Tony did wrong.
I think we should probably create a āMusings on the Bennett eraā thread that people can ignore if theyāre not interested. Will do that later, maybe
Here we go:
If Duke/UNC admission can play ball UVA can too. No reason to act like we are Yale.
Personally, Iād prefer we not follow Dukeās or UNCās example. I like the Yale approach. But, thatās probably just me. Hopefully, the PTB will continue to agree. Additionally, while Virginia does have programs less difficult than others, there are no meaningless programs, and everyone has to compete in classrooms filled with A type personalities. And, Virginia also doesnāt have an NCCU across town to stick players seeking to boost their GPAs.
But I donāt know anyone that doesnāt hold Tony Bennett in high regard. Heās an absolute legend. I think we call all acknowledge that, and at the same time admit the tail end of the Bennett era wasnāt very good. And I know the stats about winning percentage and ACC win post-natty. The problem is the trend. The overall 5 year trend was downward, and it became pretty steep his last year.
In TBās last year here was some of UVAās losses & the margin of defeatā¦
Wisconsin -24
Pimphis -23
Notre Dame -22
NCSU -16
Wake -19
Pitt -9 at JPJ
VaTech -34
Duke -25
CSU -25 with UVAās 14 total pts at half.
Also, I donāt think signing a 5 year contract and bailing just before the season with no indication is the best look. And when I say he gave no indication, Iām talking publicly. He seemed really fired up about his newcomers, his 2-year plan, and his cookie baking ability during his ACCN appearance with Mark Packer. A week later, heās gone.
Why?
If I have to explain it to you, youād never understand. In fact, I find it very sad that you would even ask the question because I think that the answer is pretty obvious to all.