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UCLA Basketball: Tony Bennett has not yet turned down the Bruins

By Mike Regalado

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts to a call in the first half during a game against the Towson Tigers at John Paul Jones Arena on November 6, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts to a call in the first half during a game against the Towson Tigers at John Paul Jones Arena on November 6, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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A report claims that Tony Bennett is being heavily pursued to become the next UCLA basketball coach and he has not yet turned down the Bruins.

It has been reported by Zagsblog that the Bruins are “going hard” after Virginia’s Tony Bennett to fill the vacant UCLA basketball head coach job.

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A source has told college basketball analyst Adam Zagoria that Bennett is one of the top choices for the job and that “he has not said no yet.”

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Bennett is currently in his tenth year at Virginia where he has accumulated a 240-88 (.732) record. In that time, he has claimed three ACC regular season championships, two ACC tournament championships and has taken UVA to the NCAA Tournament in six of the last seven years which culminated with a #1 overall seeding in last year’s tourney.

Bennett is on track to get the Cavaliers back into the Big Dance this year, which could give them their second consecutive post-season as a #1 seed. Currently, Virginia is ranked 4th in the nation in the AP Top 25.

UCLA is looking to replace Steve Alford who was relieved of his duties on New Year’s Eve after a dismal start to the 2018-19 season. He finished his tenure in Westwood with a 124-63 (.663) record.

UCLA is looking to emerge from several seasons of mediocrity under Alford, which is why they are aiming high for their next coach. As the most decorated college basketball team in history, UCLA wants to bring in a proven leader that will have them playing at a high level every year, which is why Bennett is the perfect candidate.

One thing the article touches upon is the possibility of Bennett’s grind-it-out style of basketball clashing with the needs of UCLA. Zagoria’s source claims that the defensive approach “cost [former coach Ben] Howland [his job]. They never embraced him because of his defensive approach.”

That is not necessarily true. Howland’s style of play elevated UCLA back up to elite status after three straight Final Fours, which the fanbase full embraced. What buried Howland was his change in his recruiting style and burning bridges with local pipelines which led to a poor product on the court.

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This may be Hollywood, but UCLA fans do not necessarily care about a “showtime” aesthetic. After several seasons of playing subpar basketball, Bruins fans just want a coach that will bring in wins and championships and Bennett is a coach that can acheive that.