Ryan Odom Reflects On Tony Bennett's Legendary Career After UVA's Win Over Miami

Virginia honored national championship winning head coach Tony Bennett today

Feb 21, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers retired head coach Tony Bennett stands on the court during a court dedication before the game against the Miami (FL) Hurricanes at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images | Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images

It was a great day to be in Charlottesville.

Not only did No. 14 Virginia get a big win over Miami, their eigth straight overall, but they dedicated their home court to legendary head coach Tony Bennett. Bennett won the national championship for the Cavaliers during the 2018-2019 season and today was a special day for him and the UVA community.

This one’s for you, Coach 🙌#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/G78gT2BxZF

— Virginia Men's Basketball (@UVAMensHoops) February 21, 2026

After the game, current UVA head coach Ryan Odom shared his thoughts on Bennett and on this day overall:

"Obviously, a great evening, or afternoon, in honor of Coach Bennett. It was so cool. I was honored to be on the court with him in that moment. I don't think either of us, we talked about it yesterday morning on the phone, like neither one of us could have ever predicted that we would be standing there together. We knew he would be getting his name on the court at some point, but not me standing there with him, and he's been so supportive of the guys and me personally.

As I said out there, he's what college basketball is all about from a coaching perspective. He was about all the right things. He proved that you could win at the ultimate level, the highest level, and do it with dignity and class and integrity, and a ferociousness from a competitive standpoint.

His teams were well balanced and knew who they were and knew what they needed to do to win, and it was a testament to him, and just his ability to connect with people, mentor people, and he and Laurel have meant so much to this community, Eli and Anna, as well. It's a really cool moment for the Bennett. There's no question about it. And I was happy that our team was able to be out there with the guys. He actually called me to encourage me not to do that, just to focus on the game in classic TB form.

But I said, "No, this is when we first came here, we talked about the legacy, and when we read that book over the summer, it was all about leaving the jersey in a better place and connecting these guys to this basketball program, most importantly, this university." They certainly have done that, our guys, and I wanted them to witness that part of the history of our program, and for them to see it and be there with all the fans and see just the general appreciation that everybody in the building has for the Bennett family."

What better way to honor Coach Bennett than to win a thriller over a conference rival?

Bennett retired on Oct. 18, 2024, after posting a 364-136 record in 15 seasons at Virginia from 2009-24. He guided the Cavaliers to the 2019 NCAA Championship, two ACC Tournament titles, six ACC regular-season championships and 10 NCAA tournament appearances. Bennett was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019.

Virginia is now 24-3 (12-2 ACC) and have won eight straight games. They will put that winning streak on the line Tuesday when they host NC State.