As Tony Bennett took down what was left of the net after Virginia's 80-75 overtime win over Purdue last Saturday in Louisville, he let out a primal scream I'm not sure I've seen from him before.
When I remember him taking down the net at John Paul Jones Arena in 2014 after the Syracuse win, his sly smile and relaxed way in which he pointed at the fans signified a calm, cool, and collected demeanor, even after achieving a feat the program hadn't accomplished since 1981 -- an outright ACC regular-season title. Bennett often looks the same in wins and losses. Not too up. Not too down. No big celebration. No gnashing of teeth.
But last Saturday was different.
Bennett knew his Wahoos had accomplished something special. The year after being the loser in one of the biggest upsets in sports history, and three years after an Elite Eight collapse, Virginia finally made it back to the Final Four. The doubters had been silenced.
The players, ridiculed and made fun of all year, tuned out the noise and just played basketball. In the regular season, the Cavaliers were as good as they've ever been. It was clear the dark ending to last season was not affecting the team negatively. Indeed, it had added a positive spark and motivation.
In the first round of the NCAA tournament, the biggest opponent was not Gardner-Webb, though the Runnin' Bulldogs were a very solid No. 16 seed. The biggest opponent was not the critics. It was the players themselves.
All year, Virginia had played fantastic basketball, all leading up to this moment. Would the players choke again? The early results were not good. I'm sure some fans, including myself, admittedly, braced for the worst. But the 'Hoos overcame their demons, the UMBC ghosts, and outscored G-W by 29 points after getting down 14.
After the Oklahoma win, Bennett literally threw a stuffed monkey off his back in the locker room. The meaning was clear, but the time to do that was after the first-round win.
Since defeating Gardner-Webb, the guys have been looser, freer. Basketball has been fun again. Really, as soon as they realized it was just a game and they just needed to play good, sound UVa basketball, that first-round game was over. Once they got out of their own thoughts, they cruised to victory.
Now, the weight of the world is off their shoulders. They not only didn't notch another historic loss, they made it all the way to the sport's elite destination, the Final Four. Even before UMBC, critics said Bennett's style of play was not going to get Virginia to college basketball's final weekend. Then UMBC happened, and the pressure mounted even more.
But we all saw what happened last week. Virginia took on the look of a team of destiny, and broke through. In the face of one player having an all-time night, the Cavaliers took punch after punch, but stood tall. Then "Diakihei," whatever you want to call it, happened. And the Cavaliers took over in overtime, reaching Minneapolis.
Everyone that said UVa was bad for basketball, boring -- and worse things, personal attacks on the players -- were wrong. Virginia had made it. But the thing about haters is this: If UVa doesn't cut down another net on Monday, the haters will be back. Oh, they'll be back. The only way to quiet them forever is to win the whole dang thing. Because whatever you do is never good enough for the critics. The target will move if Virginia loses Saturday or Monday. The narrative will change. It's already progressed over the past few seasons from Virginia won't stay at the top of the ACC to Virginia can't win in March to Virginia can't get to the Final Four playing the way it does. If the 'Hoos lose, the new thing to say will be they can't win the title.
But these people don't understand what Bennett is like, what makes him tick (not that I'm an expert, but we Virginia fans have a better idea than most). These are the same kind of people that expect the bright lights and big money of a spot like UCLA to attract him. If you listen to Bennett talk, especially after last weekend, you see he is a man at peace. After UMBC, he hit the reset button. He shifted his attitude and perspective. He gained an even greater appreciation for what's important in his life: Faith, family, and his players succeeding in life as good people.
But here's the thing. It's not that basketball has taken a back seat. His new thought process has actually freed him up to attack the game of basketball with even greater ferocity, with fewer inhibitions and worries. Bennett is now unshackled from some of the burdens that weighed him down in the past. He knows he will be OK no matter what happens to him in his career. But his competitiveness to win a championship still burns fiercely.
This is a man and a coach that is a huge problem for the rest of college basketball.
After last weekend's win, he said that following his father's victory to reach the Final Four in 2000 with Wisconsin, Dick Bennett said this: "Because I know what truly matters, it enables me to enjoy what seems to matter," which included the euphoria included with getting to the Final Four.
This team has already authored a story worthy of Hollywood. It's a great sports story. If the Wahoos can bring a championship to Charlottesville, it will be one of the greatest sports stories ever told.
But if they don't, Bennett will be fine. And we should be, too.
When I remember him taking down the net at John Paul Jones Arena in 2014 after the Syracuse win, his sly smile and relaxed way in which he pointed at the fans signified a calm, cool, and collected demeanor, even after achieving a feat the program hadn't accomplished since 1981 -- an outright ACC regular-season title. Bennett often looks the same in wins and losses. Not too up. Not too down. No big celebration. No gnashing of teeth.
But last Saturday was different.
Bennett knew his Wahoos had accomplished something special. The year after being the loser in one of the biggest upsets in sports history, and three years after an Elite Eight collapse, Virginia finally made it back to the Final Four. The doubters had been silenced.
The players, ridiculed and made fun of all year, tuned out the noise and just played basketball. In the regular season, the Cavaliers were as good as they've ever been. It was clear the dark ending to last season was not affecting the team negatively. Indeed, it had added a positive spark and motivation.
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| It was fitting for Tony Bennett's Virginia program to reach the Final Four the year after the Cavaliers learned many lessons after the monumental upset. |
In the first round of the NCAA tournament, the biggest opponent was not Gardner-Webb, though the Runnin' Bulldogs were a very solid No. 16 seed. The biggest opponent was not the critics. It was the players themselves.
All year, Virginia had played fantastic basketball, all leading up to this moment. Would the players choke again? The early results were not good. I'm sure some fans, including myself, admittedly, braced for the worst. But the 'Hoos overcame their demons, the UMBC ghosts, and outscored G-W by 29 points after getting down 14.
After the Oklahoma win, Bennett literally threw a stuffed monkey off his back in the locker room. The meaning was clear, but the time to do that was after the first-round win.
Since defeating Gardner-Webb, the guys have been looser, freer. Basketball has been fun again. Really, as soon as they realized it was just a game and they just needed to play good, sound UVa basketball, that first-round game was over. Once they got out of their own thoughts, they cruised to victory.
Now, the weight of the world is off their shoulders. They not only didn't notch another historic loss, they made it all the way to the sport's elite destination, the Final Four. Even before UMBC, critics said Bennett's style of play was not going to get Virginia to college basketball's final weekend. Then UMBC happened, and the pressure mounted even more.
But we all saw what happened last week. Virginia took on the look of a team of destiny, and broke through. In the face of one player having an all-time night, the Cavaliers took punch after punch, but stood tall. Then "Diakihei," whatever you want to call it, happened. And the Cavaliers took over in overtime, reaching Minneapolis.
Everyone that said UVa was bad for basketball, boring -- and worse things, personal attacks on the players -- were wrong. Virginia had made it. But the thing about haters is this: If UVa doesn't cut down another net on Monday, the haters will be back. Oh, they'll be back. The only way to quiet them forever is to win the whole dang thing. Because whatever you do is never good enough for the critics. The target will move if Virginia loses Saturday or Monday. The narrative will change. It's already progressed over the past few seasons from Virginia won't stay at the top of the ACC to Virginia can't win in March to Virginia can't get to the Final Four playing the way it does. If the 'Hoos lose, the new thing to say will be they can't win the title.
But these people don't understand what Bennett is like, what makes him tick (not that I'm an expert, but we Virginia fans have a better idea than most). These are the same kind of people that expect the bright lights and big money of a spot like UCLA to attract him. If you listen to Bennett talk, especially after last weekend, you see he is a man at peace. After UMBC, he hit the reset button. He shifted his attitude and perspective. He gained an even greater appreciation for what's important in his life: Faith, family, and his players succeeding in life as good people.
But here's the thing. It's not that basketball has taken a back seat. His new thought process has actually freed him up to attack the game of basketball with even greater ferocity, with fewer inhibitions and worries. Bennett is now unshackled from some of the burdens that weighed him down in the past. He knows he will be OK no matter what happens to him in his career. But his competitiveness to win a championship still burns fiercely.
This is a man and a coach that is a huge problem for the rest of college basketball.
After last weekend's win, he said that following his father's victory to reach the Final Four in 2000 with Wisconsin, Dick Bennett said this: "Because I know what truly matters, it enables me to enjoy what seems to matter," which included the euphoria included with getting to the Final Four.
This team has already authored a story worthy of Hollywood. It's a great sports story. If the Wahoos can bring a championship to Charlottesville, it will be one of the greatest sports stories ever told.
But if they don't, Bennett will be fine. And we should be, too.
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