MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (AP) — Coach Tony Bennett has taken Virginia to the Final Four for the first time in 35 years, and his appearance has put him in even more exclusive company.
He’s part of only the second pair of fathers and sons to coach a team in the national semifinals. His father, Dick Bennett, took Wisconsin to the Final Four in 2000.
The first family duo to accomplish the feat was Georgetown’s John Thompson, who took the Hoyas there in 1982, 1984 and 1985, and John Thompson III, who went with the same program in 2007.
Bennett said he was proud to be in such a small club, particularly because that means he’s even with his dad.
“Now he can’t look at me and say, ‘I’m one up on you, son,'” Bennett said. “At least he can’t do t4hat. There’s no bragging rights on his part now.”
