Ron Sanchez will not be retained as the head coach of the Virginia men's basketball program moving forward, as announced by UVA director of athletics Carla Will

The Virginia men's basketball program has launched a national coaching search following its first losing season since 2009-10.

Virginia will not retain interim basketball coach Ron Sanchez, who took over three weeks before the season began following Tony Bennett’s surprising retirement.

Athletic Director Carla Williams announced Wednesday that Virginia men’s basketball Interim Coach Ron Sanchez will not be returning as head coach next season. The announcement came roughly three hours after the team’s season-ending loss to Georgia Tech in the second round of the ACC Tournament.

“Virginia officially announces what has been expected for a few months: interim head coach Ron Sanchez will not be retained as the program’s full-time head coach for the 2025-26 season,” Jeff Borzello said in a post. Ron Sanchez was obviously put into a very difficult spot ahead of this season, but he did not do enough to earn the full-time gig.

The way it played out, Sanchez, who followed Bennett to Virginia when Bennett was hired away from Washington State in 2009, and was at his side for two stretches, around a five-year stint when he left to serve as the head coach at Charlotte, got the chance to audition on the job for the past five months.

Ron Sanchez, who served as the University of Virginia’s interim men’s basketball coach during the 2024-2025 season, will not be retained as the program’s full-time head coach. The announcement was made today by Virginia Director of Athletics Carla Williams.