A lot of time, the generic "chats" on wsucougars.com, which are just Q&A sessions with fans, are boring and bland. This one is not, as Ken Bone gives some very telling responses to some of the questions. Here's a sneak peek:
Q: "Why do you plan on stressing offense and a fast style when the past two years, defense and a slow game worked so well for the Cougs?"
A: "Kenny, I've had decent success over the years of coaching a certain style and it was not a slow-paced offense or a packed-in defense. I think most kids would prefer to play an up-tempo style and I believe it is also more entertaining for the fans. To be able to recruit in the Northwest I believe we are going to need to be able to sell our style of play, and playing slow has not been beneficial to recruiting Northwest kids. That's not to take anything away from the way the Cougars have played because obviously the Bennetts had success with their style, but my recruiting contacts are in the Northwest and we need to be able to sell a faster style of play."
The last coach that had success recruiting the Northwest was a guy who eventually bolted for Norman, Okla., then Bloomington, Ind., before being banned by the NCAA for illegal recruiting practices. (I'll let you draw your own conclusion from this.)
I gotta be honest: The idea of hanging our hats on recruiting the Northwest scares the heck out of me. I understand that the Northwest is all Bone really knows, and that he does have extensive contacts up here. But holy cow -- trying to win recruiting battles year after year against Washington and Gonzaga is a recipe for either spectacular success ... or spectacular failure.
Maybe Bone is some kind of Pied Piper. Early signs are good. But this seems like an awfully risky stance.