The college basketball world was shocked this past week as Virginia coach Tony Bennett decided to retire. The real shock from this announcement came from the fact that the season is less than two weeks away from starting.

Tony Bennett’s retirement from coaching was a major loss for the University of Virginia. It was an equally damaging loss for all of college basketball. In an era when it seems as if nothing is certain in the sport, Bennett represented everything good — a class act in every way, and a Hall of Fame coach as a bonus.

One day after the University of Virginia announced the surprise news that men’s basketball head coach Tony Bennett was retiring – effective immediately – after 15 seasons at the helm, an emotional Bennett explained why.