Princess Diana’s nieces join Prince William at Centrepoint Awards in London
Prince William was joined by his Spencer cousins to show him support at the Centrepoints Awards.
The Prince of Wales attended the Centrepoint Awards in London as patron of the U.K.’s leading youth homelessness charity on October 16.
Prince William continues his late mother Princess Diana’s charitable legacy by taking on the role of patron for Centrepoint.
The event was also attended by Princess Diana’s nieces Lady Amelia Spencer, Lady Eliza Spencer and Lady Kitty Spencer to mark the accomplishment of young people who has made their life better after experiencing homelessness at some point in their life.
It is worth mentioning that twins Amelia and Eliza and Kitty are daughters of Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer and his first wife, Victoria Lockwood.
Moreover, Kitty also served as an ambassador for Centrepoint.
At the event Prince William addressed the audience before presenting awards to the finalist,
He said, “As Centrepoint’s Patron for almost twenty years, it has always been a great privilege to meet the young people that they, and their partners, support, tonight is no exception.”
“What inspires me the most about the young people here this evening is that they have not only overcome homelessness to achieve their personal ambitions, but they are also all contributing to the communities in which they live — be that through teaching, fundraising or volunteering,” William added.
Know How To Plan Your Retirement. (Representative image)
Retirement is a long-term goal and can be divided primarily into 3 phases of achievement.
Retirement Planning is one of the more complicated investment goals and must be approached scientifically. It is important to have a process-driven approach that considers critical factors such as current & future lifestyle expenses, the impact of inflation during retirement, and increasing life expectancy. With the continuous increase in life expectancy in India, every individual must have a retirement plan in place.
Retirement is a long-term goal and can be divided primarily into 3 phases of achievement. Each phase needs a customised approach to balance risk, returns and capital preservation.
Pre-retirement or the accumulation stage
This is the accrual phase and the foundation of your retirement planning. This phase requires you to be aggressive and be willing to take that extra bit of informed risk. This is because we believe that individual risk should be assigned to the tenure of the goal one is investing for rather than the inherent behaviour of an investor.
During the accumulation phase, taking higher risks with maximum allocation to equity is crucial. To offset the risk in investing, adequate mitigation measures could be employed, like staggered investing (SIP or STP), long-term orientation and having the right kind of investing expectation, especially in the short term.
By investing for the long term in a disciplined manner, you are also allowing compounding to take place on your investments, which works wonders for your investment. Imagine investing just Rs 26,000 per month, and you can potentially create a retirement corpus of almost Rs. 11.50 crores in 30 years (assumed CAGR of 13%). A large enough corpus for retirement is not possible if you don’t stay invested for long and let compounding take effect.
Consolidation phase closer to Retirement:
As you approach your retirement goal, asset allocation comes into primary focus, a portfolio review should account for managing risk and liquidity. Closer to your retirement, it is advisable to have a detailed review of your retirement portfolio and focus on effective asset allocation. Risk reduction of the portfolio takes place at this stage, with enough liquidity being maintained to cover lifestyle expenses for at least the first three to five years of retirement.
However, it is important to understand with increasing life expectancy one would need to account for at least 20 years of post-retirement life. If you become too conservative at this stage, you risk early depletion of your retirement corpus.
Not accounting for inflation in your future cash flows can also be detrimental during your retirement years. What costs Rs. 100 today could cost Rs. 500 in the next 20 years. If your investments do not outpace the effect of inflation, your corpus could diminish faster than expected. Therefore, the process of de-risking and asset allocation must create portfolio stability while generating returns that exceed inflation.
Post-Retirement Phase
It is widely recommended to become conservative in the post-retirement phase, however, this strategy might expose you to depleting your corpus too early and does not augur well for creating an inflation-beating retirement portfolio. It is crucial to take informed risk and to maintain a significant allocation of equity.
The key is to remain disciplined towards asset allocation and to generate enough growth in your portfolio to outpace inflation. Once your retirement starts, you could start a systematic withdrawal plan (SWP), to generate monthly income. The Systematic Withdrawal Plan can be an integral part of your retirement plan, designed to ensure stable income generation while preserving the longevity of your retirement corpus.
Retirement planning is complex with exact calculations for each phase of your life. Taking help from an investment expert is critical. An expert ensures that your plan is customised to your unique retirement goals and helps you stay focused on your long-term success by helping you avoid any impulsive decisions driven by greed or fear.
-The author is the Co-Founder and CEO of FinEdge. Views expressed are personal.
Disclaimer: The views and investment tips by experts in this News18.com report are their own and not those of the website or its management. Readers are advised to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
The Cleveland Guardians were one strike away from falling behind 3-0 in the American League Championship Series – instead, they have all the momentum.
A pair of two-run home runs in the ninth and 10th innings propelled the Guardians to a 7-5 win over the New York Yankees to cut their deficit in the ALCS to two games to one.
All season long, the Cleveland Guardians have played a six-inning game; entering Thursday, they were 76-2 when leading after six innings, including the postseason. But Thursday night did not go as planned.
David Fry #6 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates hitting a two run home run during the tenth inning against the New York Yankees during Game Three of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field on October 17, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
After Hunter Gaddis issued a two-out walk to Juan Soto in the eighth, Emmanuel Clase came in to face the struggling Aaron Judge.
Judge took Clase deep to tie the game, but the Yanks weren’t done yet. The next batter, noted October legend Giancarlo Stanton, launched a solo homer, giving the Bronx Bombers a 4-3 lead – Clase had given up two home runs in the entire regular season, yet allowed two in a three-pitch span.
Gleyber Torres added a sacrifice fly to make it a two-run lead in the ninth, but down to their final out, the Guardians put the tying run at the plate. On the first pitch he saw, Jhonkensy Noel hit a long two-run homer to tie the game.
David Fry #6 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates hitting a two run home run during the tenth inning against the New York Yankees during Game Three of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field on October 17, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Yankees failed to score in the 10th, and the Guardians put the winning run on third with two outs, but they got much more than a single – David Fry launched a walk-off two-run home run.
It’s the third walk-off home run in Guardians history, alongside Oscar Gonzalez in 2022 and Tony Pena in 1995.
David Fry #6 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates a two run home run during the tenth inning against the New York Yankees during Game Three of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field on October 17, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
Luis Gil will go for the Yankees in Game 4 on Friday night at 8:08 p.m. ET, while Gavin Williams will go for Cleveland – it’s both pitchers’ first postseason outing.
Hours after Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces, Iran remembered Sinwar as a martyr whose vision for a liberated Palestine would be carried forward.
Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which prompted the ongoing war between the Jewish state and terror group in the Gaza Strip, was killed Thursday by Israeli forces in Rafah.
“He told you he was a lion, but in reality, he was hiding in a dark den, and he was killed when he fled in a panic from our soldiers,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised message announcing Sinwar’s death.
In a statement, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations compared Sinwar’s demise to the hanging of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who was captured by U.S. forces in 2003 and subsequently convicted of crimes against humanity.
Yahya Sinwar, terrorist leader, speaks at a podium while at a rally. Israel said Thursday Sinwar was killed by its forces in Gaza. (Mohammed Talatene/picture alliance via Getty Images)
“When U.S. forces dragged a disheveled Saddam Hussein out of an underground hole, he begged them not to kill him despite being armed. Those who regarded Saddam as their model of resistance eventually collapsed,” the statement said.
“However, when Muslims look up to Martyr Sinwar standing on the battlefield — in combat attire and out in the open, not in a hideout, facing the enemy — the spirit of resistance will be strengthened,” the mission said. “He will become a model for the youth and children who will carry forward his path toward the liberation of Palestine. As long as occupation and aggression exist, resistance will endure, for the martyr remains alive and a source of inspiration.”
A demonstrator holds a sign about the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a protest calling for a cease-fire deal and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas Thursday, Oct. 17, in Tel Aviv, Israel.(AP/Ariel Schalit)
Hamas is considered a proxy of Iran, similar to Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon, and other terrorist groups with American blood on their hands. Both groups receive funding and training from Tehran.
Israel has killed top leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, which began launching airstrikes targeting Israel’s north more than a year ago in solidarity with Hamas.
Israel vowed to kill Sinwar at the start of its military campaign against Hamas. Before Sinwar was elevated to the top leader of the group, his predecessor, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an apparent Israeli strike in the Iranian capital Tehran.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivers a speech during a program held after the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli attack and subsequent Iranian strikes at the Imam Khomeini Husseiniyah in Tehran, Iran, Oct. 2, 2024. (Iranian Leader Press Office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In response, Iran launched nearly 200 missiles at Israel. The Jewish state has vowed to respond. For more than four decades, the Iranian regime has meticulously constructed a “Ring of Fire” around Israel, employing various terror groups to extend its influence across the Middle East.
Amnon Sofrin, former head of the Intelligence Directorate at Mossad, told Fox News Digital, “In central Tehran, there is a huge clock that was set up in 2015, showing how much time is left for Israel, indicating that, by 2040, Israel should no longer exist. They have been preparing for this moment. Some of the Iran-backed militias conducted reconnaissance with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and claimed they would assist once the [Israel Defense Forces] IDF entered Lebanon.
“However,” Sofrin added, “we are already inside Lebanon, and no pro-Iranian militia has yet provided help. Iran isn’t giving the order to its other proxies in the region to join the ground war — at least not yet.”
On Thursday, Netanyahu vowed to bring an end to “the reign of terror that the Iranian regime has imposed on its own people and on the peoples of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.”
Hezbollah Radwan terrorists training in Southern Lebanon close to the Israeli border.(AP/Hassan Ammar)
Earlier this month, drones loaded with explosives were launched by pro-Iranian militias from Iraq against an Israeli military base in the Golan Heights, killing two Israeli soldiers and injuring 24.
Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.
The winter transfer window won’t reopen in Europe for a while yet, but there are plenty of moves in the works and gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
TOP STORY: Nkunku could leave Chelsea in the summer
The forward has been linked with a move back to his native France, with Paris Saint-Germain said to be interested in signing him. Nkunku has played second fiddle so far this season to Nicolas Jackson, who has been the first-choice striker under Maresca in the Premier League.
It is reported that Chelsea aren’t open to a sale, having signed the 26-year-old last year. Football Insider sources report that Nkunku could take matters into his own hands next year as he is “unhappy” to play a backup role to the club’s other forwards.
He has recently returned from international duty with France, where he scored his first goal for Les Bleus.
PAPER GOSSIP
– Enzo Millot has a release clause in his Stuttgart contract which means he can leave the club for €18 million to €20 million next summer, Florian Plettenberg reports. The 22-year-old has made a superb start to the season, contributing five goals and two assists in all competitions. While his contract is valid until 2028, the existence of a release clause could well alert the attention of several clubs around Europe. Millot joined Stuttgart in 2021 from AS Monaco and has gone on to play 66 times in the Bundesliga under manager Sebastian Hoeneß.
– Benfica and Sporting CP could rival Real Madrid for Chelsea right-back Josh Acheampong, reports Ekrem Konur. The Portuguese giants are said to be weighing up a move for the 18-year-old in January, who is highly rated at the west London club. Real Madrid were also considering a move for Acheampong as cover for Dani Carvajal as the Spain international is expected to miss the rest of the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament earlier this month.
– Besiktas are interested in signing Manchester United defender Jonny Evans, reports FotoMac. The 36-year-old is expected to depart United next summer once his contract expires, meaning he’ll be free to negotiate with other clubs from January onwards. The Turkish club are expected to be among the interested parties, although they could launch a bid to try and sign Evans in January, rather than waiting to land him on a free transfer next July.
– Danilo wants to remove a clause in his contract that would extend his current deal at Juventus to 2026 if he plays in 50% or more of games this season, Fabrizio Romano has reported. The Brazil international is currently discussing the matter with Juve, as well as the wider issue of his future at the club. Danilo has been in Turin since 2019, however, after playing almost 150 league games for the Serie A club, his contract will come to an end next summer if the aforementioned clause is removed.
– Barcelona‘s Pau Prim is set to remain at the club beyond 2025 after agreeing a new deal, Relevo reports. The contract renewal is already said to be “closed,” with the midfielder now set to be handed an opportunity in the first team. Prim, 18, is yet to make his senior debut under manager Hansi Flick, but he has impressed for Barcelona B in his 19 league appearances to date.
Gypsy-Rose Blanchard on memoir plans with future daughter
Gypsy-Rose Blanchard is preparing to share her life story with her future daughter, starting with the memoir she wrote for her.
In a recent conversation on The Viall Files podcast, Gypsy-Rose, 33, spoke with host Nick Viall about her plans to eventually tell her child about her past.
Blanchard, who was convicted for her role in the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, explained that being open with her daughter about her history has been a key consideration ever since she learned she was expecting.
“That conversation is going to come up someday, and how do I want to address that? How do I want to handle that?” Gypsy-Rose shared. “And I feel like when she is of the right age to understand, we are going to sit her down together.”
Blanchard, who is expecting her first child with her boyfriend, Ken Urker, said she has the support of her father and stepmother in deciding how to approach the sensitive subject.
“With love, care, and consideration, we have a long time to prepare for that — to know what words need to be said,” she explained.
One of the ways Gypsy-Rose plans to help her daughter understand her life story is through her memoir, My Time to Stand: A Memoir.
“Because she could read it for herself and see that I’m not this monster, I’m not the person that they say on social media. I’m not any of those things,” she said. “My memoir is a true form of my soul and everything that I had been through.”
In addition to her memoir, Gypsy-Rose is also open to letting her daughter watch the documentary made about her life, should she choose to.
“I mean, I fully encourage looking at someone’s life in the truest form, so I’m in support of the documentary. So if she wants to watch my documentary, I’ll let her when she’s old enough,” Gypsy-Rose said.
“And reading my book. And talking to us. I’m an open book, he’s an open book. Any questions that she has, we want her to feel comfortable to ask us.”
Blanchard, who spent eight years in prison for her involvement in her mother’s death and has spoken openly about her experience with Munchausen syndrome by proxy, is determined to be transparent with her daughter about her past.
She hopes that by sharing her journey through her book, her child will have a better understanding of the person she truly is.
Billionaire Elon Musk promoted debunked conspiracy theories about election fraud Thursday at the first of a series of planned campaign events across Pennsylvania meant to rally support for former President Donald Trump’s campaign.
At a town hall hosted at a high school outside Philadelphia, Musk referred to the false conspiracy theory that Dominion Voting Systems was part of a plot to rig U.S. elections in recent years.
“When you have mail-in ballots and no proof of citizenship, it’s almost impossible to prove cheating,” he said, responding to an audience member’s question about election fraud. “Statistically there are some very strange things that happen that are statistically incredibly unlikely. There’s always this question of, say, the Dominion voting machines. It is weird that, I think, they were used in Philadelphia and in Maricopa County [in Arizona] but not in a lot of other places. Doesn’t that seem like a heck of a coincidence?”
“The last thing I would do is trust a computer program,” he said, promoting the idea that U.S. elections should use only paper ballots. The Brennan Center for Justice, a progressive nonprofit law and public policy institute, has found that 98% of votes in the general election are expected to be cast on paper ballots.
Dominion did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company has broadly rejected any claims that it has participated in efforts to manipulate elections. Last year, it struck a $787.5 million settlement with Fox News in its defamation lawsuit against the media outlet over such claims.
Contrary to Musk’s claim that Dominion’s software was used in only a small number of counties, a Reuters fact-check found that Dominion systems were used in at least 24 states for the 2020 elections.
Musk’s appearance, which was streamed live by the Philadelphia Fox station, as well as on X, comes as Musk has ramped up his support for Trump. Musk has given nearly $75 million to his pro-Trump America PAC, which he established this year. Two weeks ago, he joined Trump onstage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Musk has also turned his own X account, with more than 200 million followers, into a nearly nonstop stream of Trump support, in which he has repeatedly pushed false claims about immigration and voter fraud.
Studies and investigations have found that there’s no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the U.S. When voter fraud has occurred, prosecutors have successfully brought cases against perpetrators including in a highly publicized fraud scheme in North Carolina.
Musk spoke for about 10 minutes in what seemed to be off-the-cuff remarks that ranged from concerns about censorship and government spending to the Second Amendment and safety in cities, making the claim that cities have become less safe for their residents. The most recent data released by the FBI has suggested that crime has generally been dropping across the U.S., including in major cities.
Speaking about the U.S.-Mexico border, Musk compared it to the zombie movie “World War Z.”
Musk then took questions for about 40 minutes, at one point engaging with a member of the audience who was shouting about Democratic megadonor George Soros, who has long been the subject of antisemitic conspiracy theories. In response, Musk called Soros “evil” and said he is “tearing down the fabric of society.”
In a response to another question, Musk pushed a baseless conspiracy theory that Vice President Kamala Harris was being controlled by an unknown group of people.
Musk repeatedly encouraged the audience members to engage their friends and family members and get them registered to vote in the state — where the deadline to register is Monday.
“Pennsylvania is the linchpin in this election, and this election is going to decide the fate of America and, along with America, the fate of Western civilization,” Musk told the crowd as he stood in front of an American flag.
Jeannie Ambrose, one of about 1,000 affected patients, says Enhertu should be made available on the NHS
More than a thousand patients with advanced breast cancer are being denied a drug that can keep them alive for longer. It is already available in 19 countries in Europe – including in Scotland – but not in the rest of the UK.
Jeannie Ambrose is warm and funny. But beneath the surface, she is raging.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2019, when it had already spread to her spine, pelvis, collarbone and ribs.
She was told she had three to five years to live. That was five and a half years ago – now the cancer has spread to her liver.
“I’m going to die,” the 53-year-old says. “It’s not going to end well and it’s not going to be pretty.”
But she hopes to stay alive until her children, both in their early 20s, leave home.
Jeannie is one of about 1,000 people who can’t access a treatment that could extend their lives because it has not been approved for funding on the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The drug, called Enhertu, can give patients with a specific type of incurable breast cancer an extra six months to live on average.
The health assessment body, NICE, is the only organisation around the world so far to say no to the drug for this condition. It says that it is too expensive for the NHS to fund.
The decision applies in England – but Wales and Northern Ireland will follow this guidance too.
‘I want to stay alive’
Drug companies and charities have criticised NICE’s decision.
Claire Rowney, chief executive of charity Breast Cancer Now, says it is “deeply unjust that patients are currently caught in a stand-off between NICE and the pharmaceutical companies”.
Jeannie echoes these thoughts. “I want to stay alive, I want to keep living,” she says.
“I’m really, really annoyed and upset that NICE doesn’t think my life is important enough to extend.”
She says Enhertu would give her extra time with her family – and possibly keep her alive until another new treatment comes along.
Jeannie Ambrose
Jeannie says Enhertu would give her extra time with her family
When Enhertu – the first licensed treatment for HER2-low metastatic breast cancer – was launched at a cancer conference in summer 2022, health professionals gave it a standing ovation.
It gives people more time before their cancer gets worse. The drug companies that make it, AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo, say some patients are still alive after three years.
There’s no dispute over how effective it is – the row is about whether or not the NHS should pay for it.
In July, NICE decided not to recommend it, saying it wouldn’t be good value for taxpayers and calling on AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo to offer a better price.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting also points to the cost.
“I am incredibly disappointed that the manufacturers of Enhertu were unwilling to sell this life-extending drug to the NHS at a fair and reasonable price, despite the best efforts of NICE and NHS England,” he says.
Decision is a ‘single outlier’
However Dr Greg Rossi, AstraZeneca’s head of oncology for Europe and Canada, believes the company is asking a fair price.
He points to deals with 19 countries in Europe, and another 10 worldwide, including the US, Australia and Canada.
Dr Rossi says the decision by NICE is “absolutely a single outlier”.
“Every other market we’ve been talking to has either made an agreement, or we’re in discussions at the moment.”
Drug price negotiations are confidential, so he won’t be drawn on numbers, beyond saying that the impact on the medicines budget would be “relatively affordable”.
Dr Rossi says NICE changed how it assessed severe diseases in 2022, introducing a new system, known as a severity modifier, because it felt that decisions under the previous method disproportionately favoured cancer.
For this group of patients, Enhertu got a “medium” severity rating, which wasn’t enough to tip the scales in their favour.
Dr Rossi is adamant that under the old system, patients would be getting the drug on the NHS.
He pinpoints one issue: the new approach had to be “opportunity cost neutral” – in other words, including a wider range of diseases without extra NHS spending.
He is concerned the severity modifier could make it harder to launch future cancer drugs.
He says the only way to fix this is for the Department of Health and Social Care to allow more flexibility.
Another cancer drug for incurable blood cancer myeloma has been rejected too. Shelagh McKinlay, from the charity Myeloma UK, says the bar to get treatments approved “has been raised impossibly high”.
“We simply should not be here,” she says. “It’s hugely unfair for someone who could live less than 24 months without treatment to be denied the very thing that could give them more time with their loved ones because of a change to the system.”
But Helen Knight, NICE’s director of medicines evaluation, argues that the severity modifier is working. She says it has meant treatments for conditions like cystic fibrosis and hepatitis B are getting NHS funding.
She accepts that the Enhertu decision is “incredibly devastating” for patients and their families.
But she is confident that it was the right decision.
She says: “NICE has to look at the NHS as a whole, and understand that it has a finite budget. It doesn’t get any more money when we say yes to a treatment. So if we recommend treatments, then other patients are impacted.”
Jeannie Ambrose
Jeannie Ambrose says she should be spending time with friends and family, not campaigning
Jeannie put us in touch with a group of about 20 women who are all in the same position as her.
They range from their early 30s to mid 50s and all have advanced HER2-low breast cancer.
They’re all very keen to stress that they’re not slowly fading away, but are living full and busy lives.
They sent snapshots of their lives, showing them dancing with their kids, or on nights out with their friends. Some are surfers, and there’s a few cold-water swimmers and a sky diver.
They have limited options to get Enhertu – some might be able to access it through private health insurance.
If not, they could pay directly. We’ve heard of quotes ranging from £7,500 to £13,000 every three weeks.
Some told the BBC they were considering the idea of moving to Scotland, where they could get it on the NHS. Jeannie says that’s not an option for her family.
“We shouldn’t be having to think of moving to Scotland or selling our houses,” she says.
“It feels unfair. I should be concentrating on the time I’ve got left and spending time with my family and friends. I should not be campaigning, using the time I’ve got left to fight. I just feel unheard.”
Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett will announce his immediate retirement Friday, the school announced.
Bennett, 55, was set to begin his 16th season with the Cavaliers in less than three weeks, with the program’s first game against Campbell on Nov. 6.
Sources told ESPN that Bennett’s decision to retire was not health-related.
As of Thursday night, the school had not named an interim replacement. The most likely option is associate head coach Ron Sanchez, who spent five seasons as the head coach at Charlotte before returning to Charlottesville ahead of last season. Associate head coach Jason Williford also has been by Bennett’s side during his tenure at Virginia.
Bennett is a two-time national coach of the year who led Virginia to a national championship in 2019. He won six Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season titles and two ACC tournament titles.
The Cavaliers made 10 NCAA tournament appearances under Bennett but hadn’t won a tournament game since the national title run in 2019. They were picked fifth in the ACC preseason poll released Wednesday.
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips called Bennett “a tremendous person” and “one of the most accomplished coaches in the storied history of ACC Basketball.”
“He is a fierce competitor, but one who always leads with integrity, class and unwavering values,” Phillips said in a statement. “He has made an indelible impact on countless student-athletes and developed them not only in basketball, but also as young men. He is a legend who we will deeply miss having on the sidelines as well as his daily impact in the league, the sport and college athletics.”
Bennett signed a two-year contract extension in June through the end of the 2029-30 season.
Despite leading the program to unprecedented success during his time in Charlottesville, Bennett also bemoaned the direction of college athletics.
During an interview with ESPN at ACC media day last week, he was asked why there was a perception he could be the next Jay Wright and abruptly retire while still in his prime.
“I got to call Jay Wright and see what he says, right?” Bennett said. “I always have said, when you’re doing this, you’re in this profession, whether you agree how it’s going or not, you have to be true to yourself and really look at it and say, who am I? Can I operate how I want, and can it be successful enough? And you get to choose if you want to be a part of it or not.
“And when you feel it’s time, like Jay did, like Coach K, maybe Saban, it’s their choice. And you can sit here and complain and gripe. Or you have a decision to make. Either you try to do it in your way or you get to make that decision. So I think Jay Wright probably foresaw where this is going. … It’ll be better whenever there’s regulations. Is that three to five years away? Who knows? But if it’s not — those are decisions that every man has to make when it’s his time.”
Before taking over at Virginia in 2009, Bennett led Washington State to two NCAA tournament appearances in his three seasons as head coach there. The Cougars had back-to-back 26-win seasons in 2007 and 2008, reaching the Sweet 16 in 2008.
He had spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at Washington State after four seasons at Wisconsin coaching under his father, Dick Bennett, and Bo Ryan.
Bennett played for his father at Green Bay, finishing his career as the Mid-Continent Conference’s leading career scorer and the NCAA’s leading career 3-point shooter. He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1992 NBA draft and spent three seasons with the franchise.
With all four of baseball’s final four teams in action, we’ve got you covered with live updates and analysis from both games, plus takeaways and what’s next for the winners and losers after the final pitch.
