Virginia interim coach Ron Sanchez will not be retained, the school announced Wednesday. The Cavaliers fell 66-60 to Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament on Wednesday to end the season with a 15-17 mark under Sanchez, who led the Cavaliers for one season following the abrupt retirement of Tony Bennett.
“I am grateful to Coach Sanchez for accepting this role during such a critical time for the program.” UVA athletic director Carla Williams said. “Ron is the ultimate professional because he cares deeply about this program and this University. He is an exceptional person because he is gifted as an empathetic and caring human being. He is beloved within our department and in the UVA community. Ron and the staff provided great stability, guidance and support for the young men on the team and we are thankful for his commitment to UVA and the values that are foundational to Virginia men’s basketball.”
Sanchez was a longtime lieutenant of Bennett’s at both Washington State and Virginia before leaving to take the head coaching job at Charlotte from 2018-23. He posted a 72-78 record with the 49ers before returning to Virginia as the associate head coach under Bennett for the 2023-24 season.
Bennett announced his retirement on Oct. 17 just a couple of weeks before the beginning of the 2024-25 season. The 55-year old’s stunning departure left Virginia with little alternative but to elevate Sanchez.
On the heels of a First Four exit from the 2024 NCAA Tournament, this season’s Cavaliers never had the makings of an ACC competitor. Virginia suffered 22 and 25 point losses on consecutive November days to Tennessee and St. John’s in the Baha Mar Hoops Championship and entered league play at just 7-5 and started 1-6 in the ACC.
The successor to Bennett and Sanchez will enter the ACC at a time of transition. Just six years removed from a national title, the Cavaliers have fallen behind as the ACC as a whole has struggled to keep up. The league is undergoing a makeover in its coaching ranks as the jobs at Miami, Florida State and NC State also change hands.
Among the names to keep an eye on in Virginia’s coaching search could be VCU’s Ryan Odom and New Mexico’s Richard Pitino, according to the latest information in Matt Norlander’s coaching changes tracker.
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