WASHINGTON — Washington State Athletic Director Jim Sterk has confirmed that Tony Bennett will leave the school to become the men’s basketball coach at Virginia. During a teleconference late Monday night, Sterk provided a detailed account of the days leading up to Bennett’s acceptance of the Virginia job.

• On Thursday, Virginia contacted Sterk about speaking with Bennett. Sterk was told Virginia wanted to make a hire “within five days.”

• On Friday, Bennett visited Virginia. He returned to Pullman, Wash., on Friday night.

• On Saturday morning, Bennett met with Sterk and Washington State President Elson Floyd. On Saturday afternoon, Virginia offered Bennett the job.

• On Sunday, Bennett and Sterk spoke around noon Pacific time. “He felt like he was going to stay,” Sterk said. Bennett also spoke to Elson, who had the same impression.

• On Monday, Bennett informed Elson he was going to go to Virginia.

The big question, then, is what happened in the 24 hours between when Bennett said he wanted to stay at Washington State and his decision to take the Virginia job. Such wavering proves it was not an easy decision, which was evident when his father, Dick Bennett, said Monday night that he and Tony Bennett had five conversations during the weekend, yet still did not know on Monday morning which way his son was leaning.

“It was a 60-58 ballgame,” Dick Bennett said. “My last comment to him was, ‘Tony, you’re in a win-win situation.’ I don’t know what tipped the scales.”

Sterk said Bennett and wife Laurel had “sleepless nights” and “changed their mind,” but finally felt like the time was right. The appeal of the ACC and John Paul Jones Arena, which opened in 2006, factored into the decision.

In Bennett’s conversation with Sterk on Sunday, he revealed that Virginia had offered a “great package.” Sterk said it was entirely not about the money, though, because Bennett planned on giving $100,000 of his salary back to Washington State for improvements to the basketball program.

Bennett accepted a retention bonus on March 15. Virginia will be responsible for a $400,000 buyout in Bennett’s contract. He received $1 million per year at Washington State under a contract that ran through 2015.

Bennett signed an impressive recruiting class for Washington State next season, including David Chadwick, a prospect from Charlotte. But do not expect any of Bennett’s recruits — nor any current Washington State players — to follow him to Charlottesville.

“One, I don’t think Tony’s going to be doing that, and I wouldn’t be supportive of that kind of move,” Sterk said. “If there was extenuating circumstances, maybe.”

Another intriguing note from this hire is that Bennett reportedly spurned overtures from Indiana, Marquette and Louisiana State after the 2007-08 season. But at this time a year ago, Washington State was losing two four-year starters and faced a rebuilding effort, and Bennett had only been on the job for two seasons.

“He felt he owed the school at least more time,” Dick Bennett said. “He knew this year would be a tougher year for him. He felt it wouldn’t have been right to just run off.

“This year was a little different. He’s been there six years, three years as a head coach. There were seven freshmen, some good freshmen coming in. It’s a good time for someone to go in there, to put his own stamp on it. Tony felt a lot better” leaving Washington State after this past season.

The mission now will be to see how Bennett familiarizes himself with Virginia’s supporters and the high school coaches and AAU coaches in the area.

Virginia is located in the center of a fertile recruiting base. It’s in the same state as powerhouse private schools such as Oak Hill Academy and Hargrave Military Academy, and Richmond and the Tidewater region have long produced elite athletes. Virginia also is within close proximity of some powerful Washington area high school programs and AAU teams, and Bennett must establish connections with the coaches for both.

“He will have to try to secure a staff with experience there,” Dick Bennett said. “The thing about recruiting, once you meet a guy whom you like, and who has qualities of him, that person becomes very attractive to you. When people meet Tony, that will offset a lot of his inexperience in that area. He will line up a staff that is familiar. All he has to do is meet people, and once these athletes meet him, it offsets a great deal of the unfamiliarity. He’s a special person.”