After not being retained as Virginia’s men’s basketball coach, Ron Sanchez has found a new home in Waco, Texas, as he’s set to become Baylor men’s basketball’s associate head coach for the 2025-26 season. The announcement came in a press release by Baylor Athletics.
For more on Virginia’s new head coach Ryan Odom: The Ryan Odom Story: Tracing the Journey of UVA Basketball’s New Head Coach
Sanchez will work with Head Coach Scott Drew, who led the Baylor Bears to a National Championship in 2021. Drew has been the coach at Baylor for 24 seasons as he’s led his squad to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and five Sweet 16 berths to go along with 19 consecutive winning seasons.
“Ron is a tremendous fit for our program, and we are excited to welcome him to Waco. He has built and coached champions throughout his career in a variety of roles, doing it alongside legendary names like Dick and Tony Bennett,” said Drew per Baylor Athletics press release.
Sanchez joins the program after serving as Virginia’s interim head coach after the sudden retirement of Tony Bennett weeks before the 2024-25 season. On short notice, Sanchez led the Hoos to a 15-17 record, which was not enough to earn the head coaching gig in Charlottesville.
Before that, Sanchez had coached Virginia basketball for a total of 11 seasons, coaching nine of them from 2009 to 2018. During that stretch, Sanchez helped the Hoos to 212 wins, three ACC regular season titles, and two ACC Tournament titles.
After that, Sanchez received his first head coaching position at the University of Charlotte, where he led the 49ers to a 72-78 record over five seasons, along with a postseason title at the 2023 Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational.
Sanchez then returned to Charlottesville, where he served as Bennett’s associate head coach for two more seasons before receiving the step-up to interim head coach.
His coaching career began at Indiana before he joined Washington State with Bennett, where he helped the Cougars to two NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT berth.
Sanchez arrives in Waco alongside a class of seven transfers led by shooting guard Obi Agbim, point guard JJ White, and center Juslin Bodo Bodo. The class consists of five four-stars and two three-stars, according to 247Sports.
For Virginia’s projected starting five: Updated Starting Lineup Prediction for Virginia Men’s Basketball after the Addition of Malik Thomas
The Bears come off a 2025 season that saw them earn a nine seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they defeated Mississippi State before falling to Duke in the second round.
Sanchez’s defensive coaching style will mesh well with a Baylor program that has not missed the NCAA Tournament since 2018.
As for Virginia, Ryan Odom will look to lead Virginia to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2024 after missing the tournament last year. With a loaded transfer portal roster led by Johann Grünloh, Malik Thomas, and Dallin Hall, the Hoos are poised to return to the Big Dance.
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