Dominican Coach 'Likely Option' as Tony Bennett Replacement

Tony Bennett's retirement came as a shock to everyone.

With only three weeks left before Virginia opens its season against Campbell on Nov. 6, time is of the essence to find Bennett's replacement.

With Bennett as the head coach, the Cavaliers were picked fifth in the ACC preseason poll released Wednesday.

Will Virginia hire internally or look outside?

According to ESPN's Jeff Borzello , associate head coach Ron Sanchez is the top candidate to replace Bennett.

"The most likely option is associate head coach Ron Sanchez, who spent five seasons as the head coach at Charlotte before returning to Charlottesville ahead of last season," Borzello wrote.

Sanchez would be the logical choice for the continuity of the program, with little time left to prepare for the college season.

Sanchez is a Dominican coach who had five years of head coaching experience with the Charlotte 49ers in between his tenure under Bennett at Virginia.

Bennett brought Sanchez with him from Washington State to Virginia in 2009 as one of his assistant coaches. Sanchez left the Cavaliers in 2018 to become the 49ers' 11th head coach.

Last year, Sanchez rejoined the Cavaliers as associate head coach.

Sanchez played for the State University of New York College of Oneonta. He was named the SUNY Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 1996 and earned the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship MVP award in the same year.

Sanchez also served as an assistant coach for the Dominican Republic national team in 2013 and helped his country qualify for the 2014 FIBA World Championship for the first time since 1978.

Related: Tony Bennett's Unexpected Decision Leaves ESPN Analyst in Disbelief