Commonwealth Policy Center

College basketball is big business and college coaches that win at the highest level are rewarded with huge pay raises. That’s why a coach at the University of Virginia is making national news. Men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett took UVA to the Final Four and won the national championship. After university officials offered him a huge pay raise, he turned it down. He said he “[has] more than [he] needs,” and “blessed beyond what I deserve.” Instead of taking the raise, Bennett asked for pay raises for UVA staff and pledged $500,000 toward a career development program for current and former UVA ball players. For many, college basketball is a religion. But for Bennett, biblical pillars of thankfulness and humility are built into his program. Bennett puts his religious convictions into practice on and off the court and this benefits all those around him.