In all my years as a fan of the ACC, it has always baffled me that Virginia struggles to put together a great basketball program on the court. Oh, they have had some great moments (the Ralph Sampson years, the Bryant Stith/Jon Crotty years) but they haven't had the level of success that many other ACC programs have enjoyed.
The University of Virginia is legendary, beautiful and one of the better schools in the nation. They have constructed an awesome John Paul Jones Arena for basketball and play in one of the premiere conferences. There is talent nearby in the D.C. area, Baltimore and in Virginia. There is no reason that the Cavaliers cannot compete with ACC's elite.
I don't think they've had that great coach since Terry Holland left. Yeah, Jeff Jones is a decent (look what he is doing at American) and Pete Gillen was highly regarded but they haven't had the kind of coach that gets the blood boiling in Charlottesville.
Enter Tony Bennett. The former UW-Green Bay guard who played for the NBA's Charlotte Hornets is set to be the Cavs' 11th coach in it's 100+ year history. This is a guy that Indiana and LSU wanted last year. This is a guy who can get things done.
Just look what he did at Washington State. WSU is hardly a hotbed of basketball action. Yet, he led the school to their first Sweet 16 appearance in 2008. His style of play may not be sexy in the flashy ACC, but it works and will be tough for opponents to prepare for. It is the same style his father Dick Bennett had at UWGB, Wisconsin and Washington State. It works.
This should be interesting and I think this is a great hire for the Wahoos.
The University of Virginia is legendary, beautiful and one of the better schools in the nation. They have constructed an awesome John Paul Jones Arena for basketball and play in one of the premiere conferences. There is talent nearby in the D.C. area, Baltimore and in Virginia. There is no reason that the Cavaliers cannot compete with ACC's elite.
I don't think they've had that great coach since Terry Holland left. Yeah, Jeff Jones is a decent (look what he is doing at American) and Pete Gillen was highly regarded but they haven't had the kind of coach that gets the blood boiling in Charlottesville.
Enter Tony Bennett. The former UW-Green Bay guard who played for the NBA's Charlotte Hornets is set to be the Cavs' 11th coach in it's 100+ year history. This is a guy that Indiana and LSU wanted last year. This is a guy who can get things done.
Just look what he did at Washington State. WSU is hardly a hotbed of basketball action. Yet, he led the school to their first Sweet 16 appearance in 2008. His style of play may not be sexy in the flashy ACC, but it works and will be tough for opponents to prepare for. It is the same style his father Dick Bennett had at UWGB, Wisconsin and Washington State. It works.
This should be interesting and I think this is a great hire for the Wahoos.
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