Ken Bone firing news round-up

This won't (shouldn't) come as new news to anyone, but WSU officially fired Ken Bone yesterday. We here at CougCenter had you covered all the way, but a lot of news, quotes and analysis came out following the announcement. Here's a roundup of our stories yesterday giving you a quick rundown of what happened.

The news came out around 11 or 11:15 and Jeff Nusser used his wizard powers to get this article up super fast.

The Cougars finished 10-21 this season following a first round exit at the Pac-12 Tournament, where they were the No. 11 seed as the 11th place team in the conference. Bone leaves with a career record of 80-86 at WSU, but just a 29-61 record in conference play despite playing in some of the weakest Pac-10/12 competition in the last decade.

Sherwood checked in later to give his thoughts on the Ken Bone era as a whole.

Some good. Mostly Bad. And now it's over. After five years, we can thank Ken Bone for his time with us, wish him well in his future endeavors and we will be rooting for him wherever he lands.

Thanks for the 80 wins. But we'll give you credit for 81. Larry Scott should be getting back to us any day about overturning that 2009 Oregon travesty.

Following a conference call with Bill Moos, Sandritter transcribed a good selection of quotes ranging from Ken Bone's legacy to the future of the program.

"I started to come to that conclusion [to fire Bone] about the last third of the season. We were struggling and the attendance was as low as I've ever seen it. Not only here, but at any Pac-12 venue."

"Yes, I think we can win here. I think we can compete year in and year out and have those moments where we can win a (Pac-12) championship. I certainly believe we can be in the postseason, three out of five years. I think all of those things are doable."

"I tend to go with a proven commodity and it's different being an assistant than a head coach." Moos said he likes a head coach who hasn't had a "silver spoon" and worked his way up through the ranks. Said he admires coaches who worked their way up through the ranks.

Finally, Jeff checks in once more with a look at potential coaches to replace Bone, and what he thought about each candidate. Jeff's leader in the clubhouse? Leon Rice from Boise State.

He rebuilt the Broncos quickly. His teams are driven by excellent offenses. He's also a WSU alum. He's successfully recruited Australia to build his program, and as a longtime assistant under Mark Few previous to this gig, has deep roots in the Northwest. He's making much less at BSU than he'd command at WSU.

For a quick look at all of these stories, and all the stories that will be developing in the days to come, check out our story stream.

For more news, including non-Ken Bone news, check out the links below. The Cougar women open up in the WNIT tonight and WSU baseball is victorious in San Diego.

Ken Bone

WSU fires Ken Bone, looks for coach who can rebuild program | Bud Withers | The Seattle Times
Washington State athletic director Bill Moos says he expects the Cougars to be competitive in men’s basketball, to be in the NCAA tournament more often than not. Right now, that looks like quite a challenge.

Will Isabell stay at WSU after Bone firing? | High School Sports Blog | Seattle Times
Washington State fired head coach Ken Bone on Tuesday morning after a disappointing fifth year at the helm of the Cougars. You can read about the details from the Spokesman-Review. That is significant news for Seattle preps news because Garfield senior Tramaine Isabell is signed with Washington State.

If this Moos is smart, he’ll go after a Bison | Washington State University | The Olympian
As soon as Washington State’s inevitable firing of basketball coach Ken Bone was made official Tuesday, Cougars fans began pondering what athletic director Bill Moos’ search list might look like.

Women's Basketball

Cougars Open WNIT Wednesday at Montana - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
WSU hits the road to face Montana Wednesday at 6 p.m. (PT) in the opening round of the WNIT.

Cougars end 23-year postseason drought - Spokesman.com - March 18, 2014
The Washington State women’s basketball team was invited Monday to play in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, marking the first time in 23 years the Cougars have been selected to play in the postseason. Washington State (17-16) will play Montana (22-10) on Wednesday in Missoula, but the time was not available late Monday.

Baseball

Cougars Knock off Nationally-Ranked Toreros - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State posts third-straight win.