Virginia women’s basketball assistant coach Curtis Loyd has resigned from his position as an assistant coach on the Virginia women’s basketball staff to pursue other opportunities.

It has been three-plus weeks since Tony Bennett was named the new Virginia basketball coach. In that time, Bennett has been a busy fella.

Just a couple of days after finalizing an impressive new staff, the new Virginia coach — not the crooner — kept his first recruiting class intact when Tristan Spurlock and Jontel “Bub” Evans both re-committed to the program.

Spurlock is expected to form a nice tandem on the perimeter with ACC Rookie of the Year Sylven Landesberg next season.

On Thursday, Tony Bennett interviewed American University assistant coach Jason Williford for a spot on his staff. On Friday, Bennett hired him, sources told The Daily Progress.

Even a bad dose of big-city traffic could not keep Debbie Ryan from making a stop in Secaucus, N.J., on Thursday.

If it’s true that the third time is the charm, then former Virginia basketball player Jason Williford is in business.

With the economy struggling, numerous classmates of Virginia forward Lyndra Littles will be envious today.

Jontel “Bub” Evans still hasn’t met with new Virginia coach Tony Bennett yet, but the incoming recruit doesn’t sound like a guy who’s wavering in his decision to join the program.

Ritchie McKay, the men’s head basketball coach at Liberty the last two years, has joined the Virginia men’s basketball coaching staff as associate head coach.

Bennett’s system has been portrayed by some as “slow” and “boring” — not exactly music to the ears of 17- and 18-year-olds.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said that Smith could have had the Virginia job for an annual salary of $3 million.

At his introductory press conference on Wednesday, new Virginia coach Tony Bennett talked about the importance of adding assistant coaches to his staff who could be beneficial in the task of in-state recruiting.

Players have hit the Web, done their research and are now quite familiar — not to mention impressed — with the former Washington State coach, the national coach of the year in 2007-08.

Among a bevy of prerequisites, college basketball head coaches have to be good with X’s and O’s and they must understand what style of play best suits their team.

When Virginia athletics director Craig Littlepage began his homework on Tony Bennett, he was amazed by the feedback from every corner of the basketball world.

If new Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett can have as much success recruiting teenagers as he did Ritchie McKay, the future certainly seems bright for UVa basketball fans.

Today at 1 p.m., Virginia will officially introduce Tony Bennett as its new men’s basketball coach.

If Virginia fans are worried about new coach Tony Bennett’s abilities as a recruiter, all they need to do is look at the case of former Washington State player Derrick Low.

Sources close to the just-completed Virginia coaching search have told The Daily Progress that Tony Bennett might have already added two assistant coaches to his staff.

Sources close to the just-completed Virginia coaching search have told The Daily Progress that Tony Bennett might have already added two assistant coaches to his staff.

One of the assistants could be Liberty coach Ritchie McKay. The other could be an unidentified assistant coach from the Boo Williams AAU squad in Hampton Roads.

McKay has been head coach at Liberty for the last two years. Prior to that, he was head coach at the University of New Mexico.

The additions would seem to make sense, given that Bennett, the former Washington State coach, likely doesn’t have as many recruiting contacts on the East Coast.

According to the source, former Liberty guard Seth Curry, the younger brother of Davidson All-American guard Stephon Curry, was planning on visiting Virginia before electing to transfer to Duke last week.

Reportedly, Ron Sanchez, who had been on Bennett’s staff at Washington State the past six seasons, toured John Paul Jones Arena on Tuesday. Sanchez, from the Bronx, N.Y., could fill the third spot.

Former UVa guard Cory Alexander, currently doing radio color commentary, could be a candidate for the director of basketball operations position formerly held by Rick Brunson.

Now that Virginia has a new coach in Tony Bennett, one of the bigger questions is whether four-star recruit Tristan Spurlock will be joining him.

Sources have confirmed that Washington State coach Tony Bennett is Virginia’s new men’s basketball coach.

Bennett was named the Associated Press college basketball coach of the year for the 2006-07 season.

Contrary to rumors, Texas coach Rick Barnes was not in Charlottesville on Tuesday night.

Craig Littlepage is a man under pressure.

The latest buzz surrounding Virginia’s search for a new coach is that a potential candidate may have toured John Paul Jones Arena late Tuesday night.

Ten days have passed since Dave Leitao “resigned” as Virginia basketball coach. During that time, speculation has run rampant about the candidates who may or may not be interested in replacing him.

Ashley Walker scored 20 of her career-high-tying 32 points in the first half, and Cal used its strong inside game to rout Virginia 99-73 Monday night, sending the Golden Bears to the NCAA tournament’s final 16 for the first time in school history.

Monica Wright scored all of her 13 points in the second half — including two key 3-pointers down the stretch — to push the fifth-seeded Cavaliers past No. 12 Marist, 68-61, in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday night.