Breaking: Mixed feelings as Virginia Basketball losses Top professional

Tony Bennett is set to lose a long-time member of his Virginia men’s basketball coaching staff, as assistant coach Johnny Carpenter is leaving the program. Carpenter, who has been with the Cavaliers in various roles since 2015, shared the news via an Instagram post on Friday morning.

“Not an easy goodbye to make… Thank You UVA!” Carpenter expressed. “There aren’t enough words to show my gratitude for everything this wonderful university and basketball program has provided for me. From being a student manager to becoming an assistant coach, I’ve appreciated the support while pursuing my dreams and embarking on this new journey. Family Forever.”

Virginia confirmed the news with a thank you post on the official UVA men’s basketball Instagram account and suggested where Carpenter might be headed next, tagging the Memphis Grizzlies in the announcement.

Carpenter is a proud triple Hoo, having graduated from UVA with a degree in foreign affairs in 2013, followed by a master’s in higher education in 2014 and an MBA from the Darden School of Business in 2023. He began as a student manager for the Virginia men’s basketball team during his undergraduate years from 2010 to 2013, then served as a graduate assistant for the UVA women’s basketball team in the 2013-2014 season. Carpenter also spent a year in the NBA as an assistant video coordinator for the Dallas Mavericks.

Apart from that one year, Carpenter has dedicated the last 14 years to the University of Virginia. He returned to Charlottesville and joined Tony Bennett’s staff as the basketball technology assistant from 2015 to 2018. Following that, he took on the role of director of player personnel, focusing on scouting, recruiting, and video analysis for five seasons before being promoted to assistant coach at the end of the 2022-2023 season. Now, after one season as an assistant, Carpenter appears to be heading back to the NBA.

In addition, Carpenter has experience coaching Slovakia’s U18 and U16 national teams in the FIBA Euro Cup in 2018 and 2019, and he served as a training camp coach for the Indiana Pacers in 2022.

For Virginia, this means Tony Bennett will need to find a replacement on his coaching staff with only a few months left before the start of the 2024-2025 college basketball season.