WSU's Tony Bennett quashes job rumors

After all the furor he created — from Indiana to Wisconsin to Louisiana — Washington State basketball coach Tony Bennett quelled it Tuesday in a three-paragraph news release from WSU.

"I will remain as the head coach at Washington State and I look forward to building for the future," Bennett said in part in a statement. "Washington State University is a special place."

Thus did the country's hottest young coaching commodity take himself off the 2008 market.

"He called me last night, just saying, 'I'm tired of all this speculation stuff,' " said WSU athletic director Jim Sterk. "And, 'Let's meet in the morning.' So we put out a statement."

Bennett had dropped hints in the past two months he was likely to return, but there were circumstances suggesting otherwise: Loss of three key seniors, a 52-17 record over his first two years that raised eyebrows nationally, and some strong pushes by high-profile programs since the Cougars bowed out of the NCAA Sweet 16 on March 27.

On March 29, Bennett had talks with Sterk and WSU president Elson Floyd about improvements to the program. Those will take three general forms:

Contract enhancement. "He did not ask for anything, but we're going to increase it," said Sterk, adding that Bennett lobbied for and got salary bumps for assistant coaches. Bennett makes $800,000 annually.

Facilities improvements. Sterk says practice gyms will be renovated in a larger space and Beasley Coliseum will be updated, partly with new painting. Independent of Bennett's requests, WSU is also looking at a center-hung scoreboard.

Charter travel. Sterk says WSU is working with Horizon Airlines to make some direct flights to Pac-10 cities. "We'll work to try to make all of them that way, and if we can't, we may charter on those we can't," Sterk said.

After WSU lost to North Carolina in the Sweet 16, it was a 10-day whirlwind of inquiries and dalliances by those interested in Bennett. Indiana, a five-time national champion, is thought to have offered its job to him at a salary estimated at more than $2 million annually.

Marquette extended feelers to Bennett, who is a product of the state of Wisconsin, but he didn't pursue it. Finally, Louisiana State officials met with him in San Antonio at the Final Four.

The only Bowl Championship Series-conference jobs still out there are LSU, Providence and Oklahoma State. Vacancies can always materialize, including the occasional college coach taking an NBA job, but it appears Bennett is ready for a third season at WSU, one that will involve some rebuilding.

"I'm happy we have Tony Bennett as our coach," Sterk said. "We thought he would [return], throughout the year. We felt he was very happy and excited about the future of Cougar basketball. This validates it."

As for the perception that Bennett would inevitably leave after taking the Cougars to their first Sweet 16, Sterk said: "You have to know Tony Bennett, and that money isn't everything."

Bud Withers: 206-464-8281 or bwithers@seattletimes.com