Daugherty expected to make full recovery

June Daugherty, who recently was named as the new women's basketball coach at Washington State after holding the same job at Washington for 11 years, was upgraded to serious condition this morning at an Everett hospital after suffering cardiac arrest Tuesday afternoon.

But WSU sports information director Rod Commons said this morning that Daugherty is expected to make a full recovery.

"She has no long-term issues; she did not have heart damage that we can tell, there are no blockage issues and recovery should be complete,'' Commons said. "She should be back on the job, but we don't have a time frame at this point.''

Commons said the cardiac arrest occurred as Daugherty pulled up to the Everett Clinic where she was headed to have a physical.

Daugherty is being held in the intensive care unit at Providence Everett Medical Center where she was taken after being stricken Tuesday.

Hospital spokeswoman Cheri Russum said this morning Daugherty's condition had been upgraded from critical to serious.

"June had a cardiac arrest yesterday and is stabilized now,'' her husband, Mike, said in a statement released through Providence Everett Medical Center today. "She is doing as well as can be expected.''

WSU also released an official statement reiterating much of what Commons told The Times earlier and saying that "the news is as good as we could hope for, under the circumstances.'' The release stated there is no information on the time frame for a recovery.

Daugherty, who turns 51 in August, was the women's coach at Washington from 1996 until March, compiling a record of 191-136 before being fired. She then was named the new coach at Washington State last month, with her husband hired as one of her assistant coaches.

UW athletic director Todd Turner expressed his hope for Daugherty's recovery in a statement this morning.

"June and her family have made a lot of great friends throughout the Washington Husky community over the years and our sincere thoughts and concerns go out to her,'' Turner said. "We wish her a complete and immediate recovery."

WSU's release said the women's basketball duties will be handled for the time being by the two new assistant coaches recently hired by Daugherty, Brian Holsinger and Mo Hines.