CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — On the day he retired after 33 years of coaching basketball, the last 19 as head coach at Robert C. Byrd’s boys program, Bill Bennett thought back to his days before coaching.
“For about twelve years, I bounced around from factory to factory, then I got married and had a couple kids,” Bennett said. “I’d save my three personal days to go with my buddies to the state tournament, never dreaming that I would ever get to walk out on to that floor.”
The final game of Bennett’s storied coaching career came at the state tournament, as did numerous others during his successful tenure with the Eagles.
But Bennett, who announced his intention to retire from teaching before basketball season, says it’s time to move on.
“I came close to going last year,” he said. “The way last year ended just wasn’t the best. My wife kind of even encouraged me to go out with this senior class. I decided to go ahead and teach another year and I went ahead and sent that letter in back in January, but I didn’t want to do the coaching part before we played our season. I didn’t want that to be a distraction for the kids.”
Bennett compiled a 322-128 record at RCB. He guided a 2014 team that entered the Class AA final unbeaten before falling to Bluefield. He also recently helped the Eagles to a state semifinal appearance in 2019 as well as in 2013. His team this year finished 15-2 before losing in a state quarterfinal.
Prior to his days at Robert C. Byrd, Bennett worked at Lincoln and was an assistant on Bridgeport’s 1993 state champion team.
“You get enjoyment out of watching guys grow up and do special things,” Bennett said. “Ultimately that’s what it’s been about to me. People say ‘evaluate this team or that team’, and I’ll say I have to wait ten or twelve years to see what kinds of husbands or fathers they are or careers they have, because that’s what we talk about. We want to get better at basketball obviously, but basketball is just a tool to help them become better people.”
Still, Bennett, who will soon turn 66, is a basketball lifer.
Regardless of personnel, man-to-man defense was a staple of Bennett’s teams. Under his watch, Byrd was often known for its defensive prowess, athleticism and ability to thrive in transition.
“I’m obviously going to miss certain parts of it, but ultimately it was time to let somebody else have a chance,” Bennett said. “I think about chasing the grandkids around and chasing golf balls. I won’t really have an excuse if my golf game doesn’t get any better now, because basketball is gone.”