Tony Bennett (Signed An Extension In June) Retired 20 Days Before The Season Because 'The Game And College Athletics Are Not In A Healthy Spot'
Alright, so yesterday Tony Bennett retired. Let me clarify, he retired 20 days before the season starts. A guy who won a national title, will be in the Hall of Fame (yes, even despite the loss to UMBC). He's an elite coach. But now we have to talk about everything going along with the retirement - the whole NIL, portal and state of college sports.
Yes, he's right that something should be done. I don't care abut NIL, guys get paid, who cares. The portal is the bigger 'problem.' To me it's a simple fix that probably isn't so simple. Give everyone one free transfer, after that you can only transfer without sitting out a year if your coach leaves. Think that's fair for everyone involved. Guys go to school for the most part to play for a certain coach and system. If they leave, you have the right to leave.
Now, I say that, to bring up this point. Tony Bennett says he's not the right guy to lead the program. Uh, sure, but you don't say that 20 days before the season. Tony Bennett is 100% the right guy to lead the program from October-March. You don't say this shit and quit (yep, quit) on your team 20 days before the season starts. You know what else you don't do? Sign an extension in JUNE and have this quote:
[Source] - My staff and I look forward to adapting to the new landscape of college athletics. We will continue to build one of the best basketball programs on and off the court without compromising the values of our university. Go Hoos!”
It's quite literally what you signed up for. It's what you signed up for 4 months ago. Spare me the 'it took until fall break' to realize this. You say these quotes in April or May when you can retire and still make sure Ron Sanchez gets the job. We've seen it done before, we'll see it done again. Guys who are staples at colleges retiring and making sure they help handpick the next coach. Now you leave a team of guys, who came to play for Tony Bennett, without their head coach 20 days before the season. You don't get to lecture about things when this happens, unless somehow all these guys knew in April that you were going to do this.
Again, multiple things are true here. Tony Bennett was a hell of a coach, who had his own system and won. The landscape of college sports can and should be better. But you don't quit on a team right before the season starts. You don't bail on a team in October and say you realized it on vacation with your wife during fall break. You don't get it both ways when you complain about the landscape and do this. Also, this isn't the end of college basketball like people out there are trying to say. It's not some gigantic indictment on the sport. If college basketball was dying, Dan Hurley would be coaching the Lakers. Rick Pitino wouldn't be coaching (at two schools) in his 70s. The sport will miss Tony Bennett, sure, but it's not like Tony Bennett leaving is going to destroy the sport.