I’m sure there’s a lot of disappointment in Cougarville over losing Tony Bennett. The guy can coach. He and his dad turned Washington’s men’s basketball program into one of the successful in the Pac-10 by preaching defense and discipline.
Now that Bennett’s taken the Virginia job, I’d suggest the Cougars do whatever they can to lure Ken Bone from Portland State to Pullman. Like Bennett, Bone can coach. And recruit. I remember Bone when he was at Olympic College, and he turned around a morbid program that had hit rock bottom and nearly took it to the playoffs in his only season. Twayne Rawls, a former Bremerton High guard, was the star on that team. Bone commuted from Seattle during that year and it was obvious that this young coach was going to be successful at the next level.
Bone assisted at and later was the head man at Seattle Pacific before accepting the top assistants’ job at Washington under Lorenzo Romar. He was the guy who recruited Jon Brockman, who was being wooed by the likes of Duke, to the UW. Of course, it didn’t hurt that his brother, Len Bone,was Brockman’s head coach at Snohomish.
Still, it’s connections like that that make him such a good recruiter. Bone’s taken Portland State to the NCAA Tournament the past two years. He’s paid his dues. He’s ready for a job at a bigger D-1 school. Washington State’s a good fit.
Memo to WSU AD Jim Sterk: You won’t find a better candidate.
