A PROGRAM THAT LASTS
Any idea why this Substack is called “A Program that Lasts”?
If not, let me tell you.
When I was living in New York City back in 2009, I attended a University of Virginia alumni event in which Tony Bennett, the newly hired men’s basketball coach, was the featured guest. When it was his time to speak, Bennett described his hopes for the program and thoughts on the upcoming season, before opening it up for questions.
One of the first questions came from an old-timer who sounded like he had consumed a few too many drinks during the event. Rather loudly, he asked,
“When can we expect you to start out-recruiting Duke and Carolina?!?”
Like most people in the room, I was curious as to how Bennett would respond, but figured he would utter some generic coach-speak about how “it would take time to get top recruits to come to UVA”.
Instead, Bennett paused, broke a slight smile, and responded,
“Never”
Umm, come again??
Yup.
Bennett said “Never,” but that paled in comparison to what he said next:
“Because I plan to recruit kids who want to play our system, be a part of this program, and graduate from The University of Virginia. Most importantly, we need to recruit kids we can lose with first before we can win. That’s how you build a Program that Lasts”
Damn.
As I walked home along 6th Avenue on a cool summer night, I thought to myself — “I don’t know if this approach is going to work, but if it does, what a story it will be.”
As we would all come to find out over the next decade-and-a-half, his approach certainly did work and the story of how it unfolded was even better.
For fifteen years, Bennett gave UVA alumni everything we had hoped for, and more. He gave us a reason to be excited about hoops season, an excuse to get together with friends across the country to watch games, 10 NCAA tournament bids, six ACC regular season titles, and of course, the 2019 National Championship. Most importantly, he made us proud about the way he represented our University.
Ironically, this was never more evident than the moment people doubted him most.
In 2018, Bennett’s Cavaliers entered the NCAA tournament as the top overall seed, coming off an ACC Championship, and heavily favored to beat the UMBC Retrievers in the first round. Then the unspeakable happened. UVA became the first #1 seed to fall to a #16 seed, losing by 20 points.
UVA fans were despondent and, like umbrella salesmen in Manhattan on a rainy day, pundits emerged from practically everywhere to question whether Bennett’s teams were capable of ever succeeding in the tournament.
Now, I have to be honest. An ounce of doubt even crept into my mind. That is until I watched Bennett interviewed after the game. Sitting next to his two star sophomore guards, Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy, Bennett calmly answered questions. At one point, a reporter asked, “Do you think you will ever get over this loss?”
Bennett responded,
“I was trying to tell the guys in the locker room. This is life — it can’t define you. If you enjoy the good times, you have to be able to take the bad times. When you step into the arena — and a lot of people don’t understand this — when you step into the arena, the consequences can be historic losses, tough losses, or great wins, and you have to deal with it. And that’s the job.”
Later, he echoed something that is etched in my brain forever.
“However, if you use this adversity right, it will buy you a ticket to a place you couldn't have gone any other way.”
These days, how many parents echo this sort of sentiment to their kids during tough moments?
How many teachers deliver this message to their students after a bad grade?
Bosses to their employees after a tough quarter?
Investors to their fund managers after a difficult stretch of performance?
In my experience, not many.
For Bennett’s squad though, this became a rallying cry for the next season, which resulted in a 35-3 record, the ACC regular season championship, and eventually, the National Championship following improbable victories in the Elite Eight, Final Four, and Title games (overtime victories against Purdue Texas Tech, and and a one point win against Auburn).
In doing so, Bennett and his team flipped the script like few have ever before. For the rest of history, Jim Nance and CBS can tell the story each March of how UVA was the first #1 seed to lose to a #16 seed, but they have to tell the second half of the story because of what happened the following season. How Bennett’s team shocked the doubters and went on to win the National Championship. As a result, this might make the 2019 UVA team the most memorable and mentioned National Champion of all-time.
Each year when CBS tells this story I turn to my two young kids and tell them,
“See boys, the greatest stories come from bouncing back. From overcoming adversity. From proving all the doubters wrong.”
(While they typically roll their eyes at me, I hope it’s sinking in…).
At that alumni event in New York back in 2009, Tony Bennett said he wanted to recruit players who fit his system. More importantly, he wanted guys he could lose with. In doing so, he built a program that lasted.
Sadly though, Bennett shocked the sports world last week when he retired at the age of 55 and in the prime of his career. As a result, time will tell if the program he built endures, but I think it’s safe to say that the best chance UVA has of doing so is to continue adding to the foundation Bennett has built.
After all, while there is certainly more than one way to build “A Program that Lasts,” it is hard to argue with one that involves surrounding yourself with people you can lose with first, be it your family, friends, colleagues, partners, or countless other people in life.
Thank you Tony.
My older son next to the 2019 Final Four bracket at the celebration in Charlottesville.