09/23/2026
"You all have incredible gifts!" With that empowering message, Tony Bennett, who coached the UVA men's basketball team for 15 seasons and to a national championship in 2019, kicked off a high-energy talk, followed by a Q & A session. Bennett, who is in the region as the kickoff speaker for the Norfolk Forum series, was introduced by Middle School History Teacher Carter Furr '17, who was a student manager for the men's basketball team for three years, including its historic season.
For such a special guest, the school expanded audience seating: Students in grades 9-12 were in the Johnson Theater, and grades 6-8 watched a livestream in Price Auditorium. Bennett, who played three seasons in the NBA for the Charlotte Hornets before his college coaching career, shared the five pillars that shaped his approach to team-building and life: Humility; Passion; Unity; Servanthood; and Thankfulness. That last pillar, in particular, helped UVA players recover from a humbling defeat in 2018 at the NCAA tournament to win the championship just a year later: "Being thankful for all the blessings we all have, and it also means being thankful for the hard things and the adversity that life throws at you." The Norfolk Forum
