Final Four and Cougar ties.

[GrayOnGray]

Ex-coach at Virginia vs. the school that railroaded Leach. Glad what's-his-name is having success at Virginia, but he left us. Since Leach came to Pullman, I've felt something of a bond with the Red Raider fans, so I'm leaning that way. Probably won't even watch the game, but wondering what everyone else here is thinking.

 

[bogusto]

Ex-coach at Virginia vs. the school that railroaded Leach. Glad what's-his-name is having success at Virginia, but he left us. Since Leach came to Pullman, I've felt something of a bond with the Red Raider fans, so I'm leaning that way. Probably won't even watch the game, but wondering what everyone else here is thinking.

For me, rooting for Virginia and TB is the next best thing to rooting for the Cougs.

 

[CougPatrol]

I’ll never cheer for Tony Bennett. We were nothing but a doormat for him.

 

[YakiCoug]

I’ll never cheer for Tony Bennett. We were nothing but a doormat for him.

I suppose that in your anger and bitterness, you'll now rush out and beat up Keith Millard?

 

[79COUG]

Guns Up!

 

[cougarmike]

Ex-coach at Virginia vs. the school that railroaded Leach. Glad what's-his-name is having success at Virginia, but he left us. Since Leach came to Pullman, I've felt something of a bond with the Red Raider fans, so I'm leaning that way. Probably won't even watch the game, but wondering what everyone else here is thinking.

 

[cougarmike]

Rooting for Tony all the way. Guy was and is a total class act and brought many great moments to a program that was starving for success. Tony proved that you can win here. I don’t know anyone could fault him for taking the Virginia job. Look what he has done. 10 years later he was still giving props to Wazzu for taking a chance on him. On national TV no less. Like I said.class act. Good luck Tony!

 

[Glad Cougar]

Go Virginia, although I like Texas Tech too. I don't understand the dislike for Tony....he spent 6 years in Pullman (3 as head coach) and gave us all the best 3-year run in Cougar basketball history. I'll always be grateful to the Bennetts for how they elevated the program. Like I said on the basketball board, I think it would be kind of cool to say that a national champion coach got his start at WSU....it would actually make us look good. How is that a bad thing?

Glad Cougar

 

[bogusto]

When the Duke guy finally retires, I've heard it said by more than one analyst that TB is the presumptive inheritor of the throne.

 

[CougPatrol]

I suppose that in your anger and bitterness, you'll now rush out and beat up Keith Millard?

Anger, no. Bitterness, yes. The Bennett’s hated Pullman. It was a well executed career plan for Tony, and I give his Dad credit for it. I won’t cheer for them, though. Ultimately, it’s WSUs fault. We don’t commit to basketball, so we can’t expect to keep rising coaching prospects.

 

[fingerdisco]

When the Duke guy finally retires, I've heard it said by more than one analyst that TB is the presumptive inheritor of the throne.

I haven’t paid one iota of attention to Virginia B-ball since Tony got there, so have no idea what style of ball he plays there...did he stick with the low scoring, defensive-minded style, or has he gone more offensive with presumably more athletic players that he couldn’t get at WSU?

 

[Observer11]

Anger, no. Bitterness, yes. The Bennett’s hated Pullman. It was a well executed career plan for Tony, and I give his Dad credit for it. I won’t cheer for them, though. Ultimately, it’s WSUs fault. We don’t commit to basketball, so we can’t expect to keep rising coaching prospects.

Don’t make things up. The didn’t ‘hate’ Pullman

A better opportunity presented itself and with football-Uber-Alles Credit Card Bill at the helm, it wouldn’t have been a good fit in the long run.

Tony is where he’s supposed to be. He’s earned it.

And Ernie is drinking mamosas on the taxpayers dime in PV. Thanks again, Bill.

 

[sylean]

of course it was a plan.....who couldn't see that from day one.....EVERYBODY has a plan....WSU is an out of the way school,, excellent for young coaches to earn their stripes and we should be darn glad of it.....I'd rather have an up and comer like Tony B then an end of the road type like Ernie...

all in for Tony B and Virginia.....he's a good guy an does it the right way..

 

[moxeecoug]

The only plan was Dick took the job with the idea that Tony would eventually take over. That happened, Tony got us to the sweet 16 and then moved on to Virginia for better pay and facilities. I find no fault for what happened and I am torn on who to go for tonight but i am leaning towards Texas Tech because they are a great story and never have been there before.

 

[acgcoug]

I haven’t paid one iota of attention to Virginia B-ball since Tony got there, so have no idea what style of ball he plays there...did he stick with the low scoring, defensive-minded style, or has he gone more offensive with presumably more athletic players that he couldn’t get at WSU?

Same style of play, pack line D.

 

[Glad Cougar]

The only plan was Dick took the job with the idea that Tony would eventually take over. That happened, Tony got us to the sweet 16 and then moved on to Virginia for better pay and facilities. I find no fault for what happened and I am torn on who to go for tonight but i am leaning towards Texas Tech because they are a great story and never have been there before.

Good post. I'll be happy no matter who wins tonight even though I'll be pulling for Tony. I like Texas Tech a lot, but Virginia has never been in a final either. Should be a good game.

Glad Cougar

 

[fingerdisco]

Same style of play, pack line D.

If that's the case, I can't see Duke replacing Coach K. with a defensive-minded coach them employs that style of game.

 

[TZCoug84]

Ex-coach at Virginia vs. the school that railroaded Leach. Glad what's-his-name is having success at Virginia, but he left us. Since Leach came to Pullman, I've felt something of a bond with the Red Raider fans, so I'm leaning that way. Probably won't even watch the game, but wondering what everyone else here is thinking.

I think it's great for the game to have two teams that play fundamental basketball in the championship. They both play tough defense, pass really well, move without the ball, and take care of the ball. Some don't find this brand of basketball exciting, but I love it. I also love the fact that Texas Tech started the season unranked and with NO votes in the preseason polls, yet they're still playing on the last day of the season. As far as who I want to win -- either would be fine with me.

 

[95coug]

Anger, no. Bitterness, yes. The Bennett’s hated Pullman. It was a well executed career plan for Tony, and I give his Dad credit for it. I won’t cheer for them, though. Ultimately, it’s WSUs fault. We don’t commit to basketball, so we can’t expect to keep rising coaching prospects.

Sorry, but I think any bitterness at this has to be founded in unrealistic and unreasonable expectations. TB had a lot of success in Pullman, and got himself on the national radar. When that happened, it was not a question of if he would leave, it was a question of when. Earning consecutive NCAA berths for a team that had only been to the tourney 4 times in 60 years basically guaranteed that someone was going to come hard after him, and WSU was never going to have the resources or the will to keep him. As I recall, WSU basically crowd-sourced a raise for him, which got him to turn down the Indiana job, and fended off his departure for an extra season (and gave the big boys another year of background on him). Making the post-season again in 2009 (NIT) after losing the core of the team from the previous seasons meant more schools would come looking, and when WSU started pulling resources from the program in spite of its success, how could he make any other decision?.

While I obviously wish he would have stuck around - especially since Bone and Kent have so thoroughly dismantled everything he did. But I really can't fault him. WSU wasn't going to give him market value. Even if we could have matched salary offers, he moved to the ACC, which has more often than not been the pinnacle of NCAA basketball for 30 years. Four different teams in the conference have won a total of 8 national championships (Duke & UNC 3 each, Louisville, Syracuse) since the last time the Pac-12 won one (1997, Arizona). It's big boy basketball, and it gives a young coach at least 4 shots per year at Duke & UNC - a chance to prove you belong. Without question, the highest level of college coaching, and probably the best way to get onto an NBA bench if that's your goal. I can't begrudge him the move, it makes complete sense from a career perspective, especially for a young coach.

 

[CougEd]

Sorry, but I think any bitterness at this has to be founded in unrealistic and unreasonable expectations. TB had a lot of success in Pullman, and got himself on the national radar. When that happened, it was not a question of if he would leave, it was a question of when. Earning consecutive NCAA berths for a team that had only been to the tourney 4 times in 60 years basically guaranteed that someone was going to come hard after him, and WSU was never going to have the resources or the will to keep him. As I recall, WSU basically crowd-sourced a raise for him, which got him to turn down the Indiana job, and fended off his departure for an extra season (and gave the big boys another year of background on him). Making the post-season again in 2009 (NIT) after losing the core of the team from the previous seasons meant more schools would come looking, and when WSU started pulling resources from the program in spite of its success, how could he make any other decision?.

While I obviously wish he would have stuck around - especially since Bone and Kent have so thoroughly dismantled everything he did. But I really can't fault him. WSU wasn't going to give him market value. Even if we could have matched salary offers, he moved to the ACC, which has more often than not been the pinnacle of NCAA basketball for 30 years. Four different teams in the conference have won a total of 8 national championships (Duke & UNC 3 each, Louisville, Syracuse) since the last time the Pac-12 won one (1997, Arizona). It's big boy basketball, and it gives a young coach at least 4 shots per year at Duke & UNC - a chance to prove you belong. Without question, the highest level of college coaching, and probably the best way to get onto an NBA bench if that's your goal. I can't begrudge him the move, it makes complete sense from a career perspective, especially for a young coach.[/QUOTE

I get Patrol's thoughts. Tony is not his father. Tony would have left after his first year and never thought twice about it if he was actually offered the jobs he said he was offered to get a new updated contract. If he left after year one whether it was Bone or someone else they would have had two seasons to build upon the ground work Dick laid.

 

[95coug]

Yeah, Tony isn't his father. He's better. Better win percentage. More tournament appearances. He should easily pass him in total wins in the next decade (321 wins in 13 seasons vs Dick's 489 wins in 28 seasons).

Only question at this point is whether Tony can actually build a program. He's never done that. Dick took mediocre to bad teams and got them to the postseason on 3 different campuses (4, if you count how he set the table at WSU). Tony inherited Dick's setup at WSU, and then turned an average Virginia team into a championship contender. He hasn't really built a team from zero.

I assume you're talking about some form of loyalty, with the belief that leaving after 3 years was too short. Why? What would be long enough? Why stay in a deteriorating situation when a good opportunity comes up? Coaches leave for greener pastures, it's part of the game. Even Dick Bennett did it - moving from NAIA Wisconsin-Stevens Point to NCAA Wisconsin Green Bay, and then to Wisconsin. He stayed longer than 3 years at each stop, but all of those were rebuilding projects, and weren't such tremendous successes that it drew a lot of attention. I'm not convinced that his long stints were because of loyalty - I suspect there was a strong element of his being a little under the radar, and his brand of basketball just not being exciting enough.

 

[dgibbons]

If that's the case, I can't see Duke replacing Coach K. with a defensive-minded coach them employs that style of game.

Agree. No problem pulling talent at Duke. That's fixing something that isn't broken.

 

[dgibbons]

Sorry, but I think any bitterness at this has to be founded in unrealistic and unreasonable expectations. TB had a lot of success in Pullman, and got himself on the national radar. When that happened, it was not a question of if he would leave, it was a question of when. Earning consecutive NCAA berths for a team that had only been to the tourney 4 times in 60 years basically guaranteed that someone was going to come hard after him, and WSU was never going to have the resources or the will to keep him. As I recall, WSU basically crowd-sourced a raise for him, which got him to turn down the Indiana job, and fended off his departure for an extra season (and gave the big boys another year of background on him). Making the post-season again in 2009 (NIT) after losing the core of the team from the previous seasons meant more schools would come looking, and when WSU started pulling resources from the program in spite of its success, how could he make any other decision?.

While I obviously wish he would have stuck around - especially since Bone and Kent have so thoroughly dismantled everything he did. But I really can't fault him. WSU wasn't going to give him market value. Even if we could have matched salary offers, he moved to the ACC, which has more often than not been the pinnacle of NCAA basketball for 30 years. Four different teams in the conference have won a total of 8 national championships (Duke & UNC 3 each, Louisville, Syracuse) since the last time the Pac-12 won one (1997, Arizona). It's big boy basketball, and it gives a young coach at least 4 shots per year at Duke & UNC - a chance to prove you belong. Without question, the highest level of college coaching, and probably the best way to get onto an NBA bench if that's your goal. I can't begrudge him the move, it makes complete sense from a career perspective, especially for a young coach.

You've explained why Moos did the right thing in "pulling out the credit card" to invest in football facilities and coaches.

 

[fingerdisco]

Agree. No problem pulling talent at Duke. That's fixing something that isn't broken.

Their biggest problem IMO is maintaining some modicum of team chemistry with all the one-and-dones they will continue to get. No doubt Tony is a good coach, but just can't imagine Duke ever having to resort to a scheme-type coach over just recruiting freak athletes year after year that can jump through the ceiling.

 

[CougEd]

Yeah, Tony isn't his father. He's better. Better win percentage. More tournament appearances. He should easily pass him in total wins in the next decade (321 wins in 13 seasons vs Dick's 489 wins in 28 seasons).

Only question at this point is whether Tony can actually build a program. He's never done that. Dick took mediocre to bad teams and got them to the postseason on 3 different campuses (4, if you count how he set the table at WSU). Tony inherited Dick's setup at WSU, and then turned an average Virginia team into a championship contender. He hasn't really built a team from zero.

I assume you're talking about some form of loyalty, with the belief that leaving after 3 years was too short. Why? What would be long enough? Why stay in a deteriorating situation when a good opportunity comes up? Coaches leave for greener pastures, it's part of the game. Even Dick Bennett did it - moving from NAIA Wisconsin-Stevens Point to NCAA Wisconsin Green Bay, and then to Wisconsin. He stayed longer than 3 years at each stop, but all of those were rebuilding projects, and weren't such tremendous successes that it drew a lot of attention. I'm not convinced that his long stints were because of loyalty - I suspect there was a strong element of his being a little under the radar, and his brand of basketball just not being exciting enough.

I simply wish the offers after one year weren't phantom offers and Tony went elsewhere as he wasn't planning on sticking around, and that would have given the next coach a really nice base to work from.

 

[bogusto]

Agree. No problem pulling talent at Duke. That's fixing something that isn't broken.

When I said analysts have TB ascending to the throne after the Duke guy leaves, it just means ascending to the top rank of active coaches--not actually taking over at Duke.

 

[Glad Cougar]

I simply wish the offers after one year weren't phantom offers and Tony went elsewhere as he wasn't planning on sticking around, and that would have given the next coach a really nice base to work from.

You really wish Tony had left after the first year....even though that second year got us to a Sweet Sixteen and one of the greatest seasons in Cougar basketball history?

Glad Cougar

 

[fingerdisco]

When I said analysts have TB ascending to the throne after the Duke guy leaves, it just means ascending to the top rank of active coaches--not actually taking over at Duke.

That makes more sense, but I’d say somebody like Williams at North Carolina is more deserving than Bennett, at least until TB can get a few NCs under his belt.

 

[sylean]

congratulations Tony Bennett!

 

[YakiCoug]

Anger, no. Bitterness, yes. The Bennett’s hated Pullman. It was a well executed career plan for Tony, and I give his Dad credit for it. I won’t cheer for them, though. Ultimately, it’s WSUs fault. We don’t commit to basketball, so we can’t expect to keep rising coaching prospects.

You must be catatonic right about now, right Patroll/hoopscoug?

 

[YakiCoug]

You really wish Tony had left after the first year....even though that second year got us to a Sweet Sixteen and one of the greatest seasons in Cougar basketball history?

Glad Cougar

Oh, that Clifton Dickenson. Real cougar fan, that guy. Fifty two wins and back-to-back NCAA appearances and the only words Erictile D Sniffie Cliffie can utter are "Brown, Witherill, Harthun" - never mind the fact that Harthun was an ESPN top 100 recruit who helped his team win the 6A title in Oregon. Good heavens! (or given my Italian heritage, "Momma Mia!")

 

[metprof]

Anger, no. Bitterness, yes. The Bennett’s hated Pullman. It was a well executed career plan for Tony, and I give his Dad credit for it. I won’t cheer for them, though. Ultimately, it’s WSUs fault. We don’t commit to basketball, so we can’t expect to keep rising coaching prospects.

Why not just enjoy a well-played game?

 

[CougEd]

You really wish Tony had left after the first year....even though that second year got us to a Sweet Sixteen and one of the greatest seasons in Cougar basketball history?

Glad Cougar

For the health of the program, yes.

 

[CougPatrol]

You must be catatonic right about now, right Patroll/hoopscoug?

It was a great game, and he’s a great coach. I’m just bitter that he left.