Washington State quickly replaced Tony Bennett by hiring Portland State coach Ken Bone to lead the Cougars. Bone arrives in Pullman after four seasons with the Vikings during which he compiled a 77-49 record and led the team to an NCAA Tournament this past season. He replaces Bennett, who left Washington State a week ago to take Virginia’s open position. A university press release outlines several of Bone’s career highlights.
Bone led Portland State to its finest season in school history in 2007-08, winning a school-record 23 games en route to the Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament titles and making the school’s first appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament. As a result, Bone earned Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year honors, becoming the first Viking basketball coach to do so.
No stranger to the Pacific Northwest, Bone holds a 335-167 record in 17 years as a head coach, including 12 seasons at his alma mater, Seattle Pacific University. He registered a 253-97 (.723) record with the Falcons between 1990-2002. Bone’s SPU teams claimed six outright or shared Pacific West Conference championships and earned eight NCAA playoff appearances. The Falcons made five trips to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 over a span of eight years, including a semifinal appearance in 2000 that capped a 27-5 season. In 2000, Bone was recognized as both NABC District 8 Coach of the Year and PacWest Conference Co-Coach of the Year.
