MINNEAPOLIS – Virginia Director of Athletics Carla Williams is succinct when describing her first meeting with basketball coach Tony Bennett.
“Being able to meet him the day before my press conference and sit down and visit with him – blown away,” Williams said. “In the time since, a little over a year, he is true to form. What you see is who he is. A great, great leader. A great developer of young people. I’m just so happy for him to have this success.”
Many UVA fans share that feeling after watching Bennett for the past 10 years. He took over a program with just one NCAA Tournament win from 1996 to 2009 and changed the fortunes of the program dramatically. Bennett has compiled 251 wins with just 89 losses at Virginia, including 30-win seasons four times in the last six years.
The Cavaliers won their first ACC Tournament title since 1976 with the conference title in 2014 and are in the Final Four for the first time since 1984. The Hoos have made the field for six straight years, a program record, and enter the Final Four with a program record 33 wins this season.
Williams understands better than most the feeling of reaching this stage of the season. As an assistant coach at Georgia, she helped coach the Bulldogs’ women’s team to the same stage in 1995 and 1996. Williams said she is happy for this year’s team because of the breakthrough to the Final Four.
“It’s a long year. It’s a hard journey,” Williams said. “So the further you advance in the tournament, the sweeter it is. Being able to be in the Final Four in a setting like this, I’m just so happy for the players because this is extra special for them.”
Williams Watched The Purdue Ending Over And Over
Williams has been like many Wahoos this week when it comes to watching the play that helped secure the Final Four berth. She was standing in the tunnel in Louisville when the sequence – Ty Jerome missed a free throw, Mamadi Diakite tapped back the rebound, Kihei Clark tracked it down and returned it to Diakite for a buzzer beater – unfolded to force overtime against Purdue. The normally even-tempered AD got excited like most UVA fans and estimated she’s watched the play 100 times since.
“Have I seen shots like that? Yes. But when you put the entire play together, from the missed free throw to the tap to the speed of Kihei to the court awareness of Kihei to Mamadi – the pass was perfect, his release was perfect over a 7’2” player,” Williams said. “I’ve watched that so many times. … I was in the tunnel next to the bench. Yeah, I think I jumped a few times.”
Kersey Soaking In Final Four
Virginia manager Grant Kersey carved out a spot in fans’ hearts this season when he earned a jersey to dress for home games and then made the most of it. That included a 100-point buzzer-beater against Marshall that sent the John Paul Jones Arena into a frenzy.
As a player at Albemarle High and a Charlottesville kid, he shared some thoughts on the Hoos being in Minneapolis.
On being at the Final Four … “I’m just trying to take it all in,” Kersey said. “It’s so cool. You always grow up watching the Final Four and then I came to UVA being a manager and then everything that’s happened, I’ve always been like we can get there. I’ve always wanted Virginia to get there. Now that I’m part of it when it’s happening, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s so cool.”
On walking out to the court at U.S. Bank Stadium where approximately 72,000 fans are expected to watch the games … “It was surreal,” Kersey said. “I was just looking around like this is huge, like we’re on this stage. It’s just cool to look around and see our logo and see our name everywhere. I’m just really happy for the guys, the coaching staff and Coach Bennett because I know the hard work and see the hard work that we all put in. For it to finally come to this, it’s really cool.”
On swaying with some nerves at the end of the Purdue game … “I was getting a little nervous,” Kersey said smiling. “It’s funny because I remember after one of the games, my mom, I called her after the game and she was like I don’t think you can sit in front of Ms. Bennett anymore. I said what do you mean mom? She’s like you stand up too much, she’s got to keep looking around you. She was giving me a hard time (laughing).”
Magic Man!
When Virginia Associate Head Coach Jason Williford answered questions among reporters last week, Cavalier forward Mamadi Diakite walked by and with a big smile started to shout “Magic Man!” in Williford’s direction. Williford isn’t entirely sure why that nickname has been adopted by Diakite.
“I showed him a few moves, the old school guy in me,” Williford said. “I had a few post moves back in the day and so I just kind of pointed some stuff out to him. I guess that’s where it’s coming from, I don’t know. He’s always pulling me aside and yelling ‘Magic Man!’”
