The Palouse a perfect fit for Bennett

Here's a column about Washington State basketball coach Tony Bennett. He turned overtures from Indiana, which has since hired Marquette coach Tom Crean ...

By Josh Wright
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
At the end of an exhilarating ride that lasted deep into March, Tony Bennett scoffed at the notion - uttered in the media and elsewhere - that the Washington State men's basketball program had topped out by going to the Sweet 16.
The Cougars might play in a conference chock-full of programs rich in resources. And they might have the disadvantage of being located in Pullman, 75 miles from any sort of metropolitan area. But none of that seems to sway their single-minded coach.
Not even a little bit.
"I understand that a lot of people say there's a ceiling at Washington State, but I don't buy that," Bennett said after losing last week to North Carolina in the NCAA Eastern Regional semifinals.
Then, in a move akin to an up-and-coming WSU professor turning down a job offer at Yale, Bennett affirmed his stance by spurning Indiana, one of the nation's top-shelf programs.
What exactly is going on here? Does this coaching prodigy know something others don't?
Well, the likely sanctions at IU after the Kelvin Sampson debacle probably played a part in Bennett's decision. But here's another possibility: Maybe he realizes he can make a lasting mark at Washington State, a school where he'll always be doubted but nevertheless a place capable of producing a consistent winner.
In some ways, he's an ideal candidate to hang around a while.
With the Cougars, the 38-year-old head man doesn't have to worry about pressure - at least, not the type of pressure he would face with the Hoosiers. He's already accomplished more on the Palouse than Coug fans could expect.
In Bennett's two-year reign, WSU has won a school-record 52 games, finished second and third in the Pac-10 and bagged three victories in the NCAA tournament. That's the same number of wins the program had tallied in the 66 years before last season.
After that much success, Bennett has plenty of wiggle room. He can take time rebuilding the club after the departure of three key seniors - Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver and Robbie Cowgill. And he can be selective in targeting future players.
Bennett and his staff have already made inroads in the recruiting department. The five-player class set to come to campus next year is viewed favorably in scouting circles, especially with the emergence of Klay Thompson, the son of former NBA standout Mychal Thompson.
Aside from personnel, though, there are other reasons to stay. Chief among them: WSU is a natural second-class program. That may sound odd, but Bennett is like his father - he flourishes in overlooked spots.
At one time, Dick Bennett was viewed as one of the sharpest basketball minds in the country. But he never made quick jumps to bigger programs. He spent 11 years coaching at the high school level and nine seasons at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, a one-time NAIA school, before moving to UW-Green Bay.
Then, in maybe the oddest move of the elder Bennett's career, he came out of retirement three years after leading Wisconsin to the Final Four to take over the Cougars, a team in shambles after the forgettable Paul Graham era.
As UNC coach Roy Williams said last week in regard to the Bennetts, "That acorn didn't fall (far) from the tree."
Dick and Tony are made in the same mold, and both seem to have an underdog mentality in their DNA. Which is why not bolting after two seasons makes sense for Tony.
Next season, most experts won't expect much out of the Cougs. They'll have lost the sweet shooting stroke of Low, the leadership and interior defense of Cowgill, the versatility of Weaver. And they'll be relying on at least a few of their freshmen.
Yet amid all the question marks, you get the sense Tony Bennett will be right where he wants to be.
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Wright is a Tribune sports writer. He can be contacted at (208) 844-2277 or jwright@lmtribune.com