Virginia men's basketball head coach Tony Bennett reflects on the 2021-2022 UVA basketball season.
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00:00 I mean, the positive, as I said, they improve.
00:03 Some guys found themselves-- some guys
00:06 learned some valuable things.
00:07 It's a positive.
00:08 Even some of the hard things that they've
00:09 got to look in the mirror and say, hey,
00:10 I've got to go to work in the weight room.
00:12 I've got to improve my shot.
00:14 I've got to take those-- that's so important.
00:17 And again, to be in these pressure cooker situations
00:19 and the hard fought ones.
00:20 But I just loved how resilient they were.
00:24 I said it on the coaches radio show.
00:27 They always-- they rejoice.
00:28 When one guy did well, they're always so happy for each other.
00:31 Their character, young men.
00:33 And I'll never forget, and I say all the time,
00:37 you have to have young men you can lose with and a staff.
00:40 And they were that.
00:42 There's a lot of expectations and pressure
00:45 on these young men, whether they put it on themselves,
00:48 whether it's from the outside.
00:49 Where this program has been the last eight years,
00:51 it's been at a level that is second to none.
00:54 And so when you come in and maybe you
00:56 don't have quite that kind of talent
00:58 or that kind of experience, and you're just trying to grow,
01:01 that's a lot to live up to when they're trying to do that.
01:03 So just watching them, no matter what, show up
01:08 and very compliant.
01:11 Very compliant, very good young men.
01:13 They want to win, and they pull for each other.
01:16 And they show up.
01:17 Again, I think we have to improve in some areas,
01:20 improve our shooting.
01:21 We've got to get tougher, stronger.
01:22 But they took steps in that direction.
01:25 What kind of timetable do you have for the guys staying,
01:29 guys leaving, your roster for next year?
01:32 Do you sit back for a while, or do you immediately
01:35 go into that?
01:35 Yeah, welcome to the new age of college basketball, right?
01:38 The transfer portal and decisions to be made.
01:41 You know, you always, when the season's done,
01:43 you have your player meetings.
01:45 And I just think some guys maybe have decisions
01:50 made in their mind what they're going to do,
01:52 what they want to do.
01:53 You just sit down, and you're honest.
01:56 And you just talk and share things.
01:58 This is what I see, and they'll tell you, and those decisions.
02:00 I mean, guys that maybe aren't planning on coming back,
02:03 if there are some, I think the sooner they do that
02:06 for their sake and everyone's sake, the better.
02:08 And then you just go from there.
02:10 But we'll do that fairly soon.
02:12 I don't have--
02:12 [INAUDIBLE]
02:14 Not yet.
02:14 We'll talk.
02:15 I mean, I think we'll get a feel for all that stuff.
02:19 And it's a little, I think, let the dust settle,
02:24 the smoke clear, or the body cool,
02:26 or however you want to say it here with some of these.
02:29 So we just had a tough loss.
02:30 But certainly sooner than later.
02:32 And again, I always want the best for these young men.
02:38 They'll always be part of this year,
02:39 and this team will never be the same now.
02:42 I tried to teach them to appreciate that and honor
02:44 each other.
02:45 We've got three quick ones.
02:46 Caroline, Mike, and then Frank.
02:47 Kind of amalgamation of all those questions,
02:49 but do you see-- you could have potential
02:51 for multiple starters returning next season,
02:53 plus the incoming class.
02:55 Obviously, new faces.
02:56 But do you think of the end of this season,
02:58 the way that you saw that growth,
02:59 could be a potential jumping point, launch point
03:02 for the season, the offseason, and seeing a little bit more
03:04 continuity for next year?
03:06 I hope so.
03:07 I do.
03:08 There's no substitute for experience.
03:10 We must improve.
03:12 Every player that returns in this program,
03:15 they better take a step in terms of commitment,
03:18 and their strength, and their ability, and commit, and work.
03:22 If they don't want to, they shouldn't be here.
03:24 Don't want them.
03:25 But I believe they will.
03:27 That's the entry level for this level, this high level.
03:33 So they got to decide, and nothing's guaranteed.
03:36 Playing time's not guaranteed.
03:37 You work.
03:38 You come together.
03:39 We were shorthanded this year with a tight rotation,
03:43 and so guys got invaluable experience.
03:45 I hope there'll be more competition next year
03:47 for playing time, which is healthy.
03:50 And again, I want to be real with the new guys coming in.
03:53 Everybody's all excited about this new class.
03:57 They'll have their work to do.
03:59 It's hard coming in as a first year.
04:01 And you got to have patience.
04:02 And if they're good enough, they'll play.
04:05 If they're not ready, they'll improve,
04:06 and they'll get ready at some point,
04:08 just like the guys in this program.
04:09 But certainly, those guys that come back that played a lot,
04:15 they should be better.
04:16 The guys that didn't play that much this year,
04:18 eye-opening experience.
04:19 And I expect, hopefully, some good continuity.
04:22 But to Doug's question, you don't know in college
04:24 basketball now.
04:25 You really don't.
04:26 And it's kind of sad, but it's reality.