The Virginia basketball program is dealing with the aftermath of longtime head coach Tony Bennett’s decision to retire. A little over a week after the news of Bennett’s departure broke, Virginia lost the commitment of senior forward and transferee Jalen Warley. Moreover, Warley is being joined by a second player: Class of 2025 guard Chance Mallory.
Mallory, a top-50 recruit in his class, has decommitted from the Cavaliers, per Joe Tipton of On3. The 5-foot-9 guard has reopened his recruitment amid Bennett’s retirement, but says he will still consider Virginia, Tipton added.
Chance Mallory and Jalen Warley are the first of what could be more changes coming to the Virginia basketball roster. Players are understandably reconsidering their future with the program, given the impact of Tony Bennett.
Bennett spearheaded the success of Virginia’s program for 15 seasons and helped it win a national championship in 2019. He explained his decision to walk away from the endeavor in late October, drawing upon a realization he had when he was on vacation with his wife:
“If you’re going to do it, you got to be all in,” Bennett said, per. “You got to have everything. And if you do it half-hearted, it’s not fair to the university and those young men. So when looking at it, that’s what made me step down.”
Yet, the changing NIL landscape might have also played a role in Bennett’s decision.
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“The game and college athletics is not in a healthy spot. It’s not. And there needs to be change,” Bennett added. “It’s not going to go back — I think I was equipped to do the job here the old way. That’s who I am and that’s how it was. And my staff has buoyed me along to get to this point. But there needs to be change. It’s going to be closer to a professional model…”
Surely, Virginia will do everything in its power to remain a force in college basketball despite shocking changes.
Christopher Smith is a sports journalist who primarily covers the Chicago Sky, NBA, NCAA Basketball, and the NFL for ClutchPoints. The Aurora, Illinois native received his education from Creighton University, and he has bylines at Last Word on Sports and FanSided.
