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Former University of Virginia Men's Basketball Coach Tony Bennett knows more about the art of winning than most people: During his 15 years at the helm, he led the Cavaliers to 364 wins, two ACC championships, and an NCAA championship in 2019. That record made him UVA's winningest men's basketball coach and one of only three coaches to earn ACC Coach of the Year four or more times, as well as many other coaching titles.

Yet, with all the winning, it is adversity that has taught him the greatest lessons, and adversity that he made the subject of his talk to students and faculty at Norfolk Academy during a very special event on Tuesday, organized in partnership with the Norfolk Forum, which had Bennett as the kickoff speaker for this year's series. For such an occasion, the school expanded audience seating: Students in grades 9-12 were in the Johnson Theater, while grades 6-8 watched a livestream in Price Auditorium. Sandra Porter Leon '80, Norfolk Academy Trustee and current president of the Norfolk Forum's Board, attended the speech. 

Bennett was introduced by an NA alumnus who got to study his coaching style up-close: Middle School History Teacher Carter Furr '17 was a student manager for the UVA men's basketball team for three years, including its historic season. Furr noted that Bennett's five pillars approach to team-building and life, as well as his overall demeanor, had a lasting, powerful influence, “Anybody I have been lucky enough to teach or coach has Coach Bennett to thank."

Bennett spoke about each of the five pillars: Humility; Passion; Unity; Servanthood; and Thankfulness. While they are words that are widely understood, he has a particular approach to each of them. Humility means not thinking too highly of yourself, but also not “too lowly" either, he said. “Have a sober judgment of yourself."

His approach to the pillar of passion -- “do not be lukewarm!" -- also encompasses resilience, and actions that promote a “never quit" attitude. The UVA team had a door knocker that was not only on the locker room wall but also taken on the road; before every game, each member of the team would “knock on the door" before running onto the court, signifying an individual commitment to being persistent.

Bennett shared, with notable candor and vividness, the pain of the 2018 season, when UVA entered the NCAA tournament as the No. 1 seed -- “the toast of the town," as Bennett recalled -- only to be defeated by the 16th seed UMBC Retrievers, a historic upset, in that it was the first time in NCAA tournament history that a No. 16 seed had defeated the No. 1 seed. Humbling, yes, Bennett recalled, and also a little frightening: After the loss, the team received death threats and had to have a police escort as players, coaches, and support staff entered their hotel rooms that evening.

In the weeks and months after the loss, Bennett worked with his players to help them keep their equilibrium, even as the team's loss was national news and made them “the butt of everyone's jokes." When the team returned for practices the next year, Bennett had additional motivation in store. The team watched a TED talk, one that Bennett's wife had recommended to him, which included a quote about adversity that became part of the team's approach to the season: “If you learn to use adversity right, it will buy you a ticket to a place you could not have gone any other way."

He also rolled up a paper with the five pillars on it, and buried it in a hole at half court; the members of the team took turns stepping on wet concrete that sealed the pillars into their home court underneath the floorboards. As they got down to practicing with renewed intensity, Bennett reminded them of the final pillar: Thankfulness.

“Being thankful for all the blessings we all have," he said. “And it also means being thankful for the hard things and the adversity that life throws at you."

The resulting 2019 season was so miraculous that a noted sportswriter, John Feinstein, told Bennett that if he had written a book about such a season, it would have been rejected by publishers for being too unbelievable--until it actually happened.

Following his talk, Bennett did a Q & A with Head of School Travis Larrabee, who asked questions previously submitted by students. Bennett was critical of the current state of college athletics with NIL deals and frequent player transfers among schools, and the impact of gambling on college sports. 

However, for students who want to compete at the college level, Bennett had succinct advice: “You have to be a fierce competitor."