CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Former Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett suggested to current Cavaliers big whistle Ryan Odom that Odom not bring the team out onto the floor for Saturday’s pre-game court naming ceremony. 

Bennett, never one to allow the show to overshadow the game, didn’t want his honor to be a distraction.

Odom respectfully disagreed.

“He actually called me to encourage me not to do that, just to focus on the game, in classic TB form. But I said, ‘No,’” Odom said after UVA’s 86-83 thrilling win over Miami. “I wanted them to witness that part of the history of our program and for them to see it and be there with all the fans and see just the general appreciation that everybody in the building has for the Bennett family.”

That sentiment wasn’t just how Odom felt about the 1:45 p.m. event Saturday, where a court logo of Bennett’s signature was unveiled on the John Paul Jones Arena floor. 

It’s how he’s guided the Virginia program every minute of every day since he took over in March.

“It’s something Coach emphasized with us this summer, to honor the guys who came before us, the coaches and players before us,” said transfer guard Jacari White. “And that we should play for Virginia, not just ourselves. He emphasized that early and we want to honor that every day we come to practice and games we play.”

That’s no minor undertaking in this era of college basketball, where the transfer portal leads to massive annual roster overhaul and NIL money can make players think more about dotting their own “I”s than playing for a team. 

Odom brought in 12 new scholarship players, including seven transfers, two international imports and three freshmen. 

Over the summer, Odom invited former players back to UVA to help school the new Cavaliers about the program’s history. He wanted them to know about Bennett’s tenure, which produced two ACC tournament titles, six ACC regular-season championships, 10 NCAA Tournament appearances and – of course – the 2019 national championship.

Bennett’s name hangs in the rafters at JPJ, as does that national title banner.

In his signature logo on the court, Bennett asked that the name of every player, assistant coach and student manager that worked with him at UVA have their name inscribed inside the blue lettering.

Odom made sure his new players learned, too, about the previous generation, tutored by Terry Holland and headlined by Ralph Sampson. Two Final Four banners hang at JPJ courtesy of the late Holland, and the 7-foot-4 Sampson looms as the program’s greatest player and a constant presence at games.  

And Odom wanted them to know who Joe Harris, Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, London Perrantes and Jay Huff were before they saw that group on the court for Bennett’s ceremony Saturday.

He had his team read the book “Legacy,” which looks at the commitment to tradition of New Zealand’s iconic All Blacks rugby team. 

“It was all about leaving the jersey in a better place and connecting these guys to this basketball program, and most importantly, this university,” Odom said.

That all has proven to be time well spent. 

The 2025-26 Cavaliers are 24-3, making Odom the winningest first-year coach in program history. They’re ranked No. 11 in the nation, their highest ranking since 2023.

At 12-2 in the ACC heading into Tuesday night’s game against North Carolina State, they are second in the league standings, steamrolling toward a double-bye in the conference tournament and a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. 

A roster full of players who had little to no connection to UVA in March are honoring the program’s history while adding to it.

And Odom is doing it in a way that honors Bennett’s remarkable tenure.

“He’s what college basketball’s all about,” Odom said of Bennett. “He was about all the right things. He proved you could win at the ultimate level, the highest level, and do it with dignity, class and integrity and a ferociousness.”