Bennett about as good as U.Va. could hope for

Atlantic Coast Conference basketball is exciting and competitive. It has a long and notable history filled with legendary coaches and players.

On the basketball power charts, however, the ACC now trails the Big East. And the ACC is, at best, even with the Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-10 and only slightly ahead of the Southeastern Conference.

ACC arrogance is the tedious byproduct of coaches and fans who try to sell a league whose reputation exceeds its results.

Tony Bennett is the new men's basketball coach at Virginia, and Cavaliers fans are asking, "Who?" and, "Can't we do better?"

The answers are: "A 39-year-old coach from Washington State who might be ascending to the ranks of the elite;" and "No."

The Virginia basketball job is not a jewel. That Virginia is in the ACC is no lure to a coach with an established program in a major conference.

The ACC is in danger of becoming known as North Carolina, Duke and the other 10.

Of the seven ACC teams in the NCAA tournament, only UNC and Duke survived the first two rounds.

Duke lost in round three to Villanova, a Big East team. North Carolina is in the Final Four with two Big East teams and one from the Big Ten.

Since 1982, there have been 14 occasions when a conference had three teams reach the regional finals of the NCAA tournament.

The Big East has done it six times, the Big 10 three and the Big 12 twice. The ACC has done it once, in 1983.

No one was going to take the Virginia job simply because the Cavaliers play in the ACC.

That a rebuilding job is in order for the Cavaliers hardly makes the job more attractive.

Virginia did not "settle" for Bennett. His selection was a surprise only because there was an assumption that everyone wants to coach in the ACC.

Virginia Athletic Director Craig Littlepage and the Parker Executive Search firm went to hinterlands of college basketball to find Bennett.

He wasn't exactly off the radar - Bennett was the national coach of the year after going 26-8 in 2006-07 - but you had to know where to look.

Bennett has been successful at one of the most difficult spots in major college basketball.

The Cougars play in the Pac-10 and have no significant basketball tradition. Pullman, Wash., population 27,000 and a few miles from the Idaho border, is not a spot where blue-chip recruits dream of landing.

A coach who can win at Washington State, where Bennett was 69-33 in three seasons, should be able to win anywhere.

Virginia was 45-43 the past three seasons.

Hiring Bennett is about winning over fans by winning games. Bennett has a strong belief in the fundamentals of basketball. And the fundamental he adheres to most is that defense wins games.

During his tenure, the Cougars gave up an average of 57 points per game.

If you are a fan of fast-paced basketball, Bennett's hiring will elicit an "ugh." If you are a fan of winning basketball, Bennett's hiring should elicit a, "Hmmm. This guy is worth watching."

If the ACC is to regain the top spot in basketball's pecking order, it needs to find coaches such as Bennett. Then, those coaches must succeed.

Virginia took the first step. Bennett must take the next.

Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or .