WSU makes the right call on Ken Bone

Washington State traditionally has struggled to replace successful coaches in men's basketball. When Marv Harshman left in 1972 for the University of Washington, Bob Greenwood was named his successor. That lasted one year. Len Stevens was tabbed to follow George Raveling, who left after 11 seasons in 1983 to become coach at Iowa. And when Kelvin Sampson departed after seven years in 1994, Kevin Eastman followed.

Ken Bone has the difficult assignment of following Tony Bennett, who was hired by Virginia after guiding the Cougars to a 69-33 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances in three seasons. But I think he's ready for the challenge.

He's a Seattle native who is the son of a coach. Bone was a ballboy for Harshman at UW who later spent 12 years as the coach at Division II Seattle Pacific. He compiled a 253-97 record and guided the Falcons to eight playoff appearances.

In 2002, Bone became Lorenzo Romar's top assistant at UW. He helped lead the Huskies to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths during his three-year tenure at UW, culminating with a Sweet 16 appearance in 2005.

Bone then headed to Portland State, a small commuter school that finished last in the Big Sky in two of the three seasons before his arrival. PSU never reached the NCAA Tournament before Bone's arrival. In four seasons, he led the Vikings to two NCAA appearances and a 77-49 record.

It might sound simplistic, but Bone succeeds because he's able to adapt to his personnel. During the 2006-07 season, he guided the Vikings to a 19-13 record despite converting 33.5 percent of their 3-pointers (224th nationally). But when Jeremiah Dominguez and Dominic Waters transferred into the program, PSU regularly shot from behind the arch. The result was a pair of school-record 23-win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances. Last season, the Vikings converted 37.7 percent of their 3-pointers (39th nationally).

Besides being respected as a coach, Bone also has become a winner through his recruiting. That isn't easy at PSU, where he was selling athletes on playing at the dated 1,500-capacity Stott Center is required. It easily is the smallest facility in the Big Sky.

Some have expressed concern that the majority of Bone's recruits at PSU where transfers. But I don't see that being a problem as he's recruited Pac-10 athletes before at UW and certainly tried to get those who were overlooked by major schools while at SPU and PSU.

Another issue mentioned is his lack of experience at a major school. Again, I don't see that as a problem. UCLA coach Ben Howland went directly from another Big Sky school, Northern Arizona, to Pittsburgh in 1999. He's been successful at all three of his stops. Oregon State coach Craig Robinson spent his first two seasons at an Ivy League institution, Brown, before improving the Beavers from 0-18 to 7-11 in Pac-10 play in his first season. Bone can be just as successful.

Perhaps the most significant challenge for Bone will be keeping the young core of Cougars together. Guards Marcus Capers and Klay Thompson and forward DeAngelo Casto, all of whom just completed their freshmen seasons, provide a strong core for the future. But Bone must keep the incoming recruiting class — guards Anthony Brown and Xavier Thames and forwards David Chadwick and Brock Motum — together through the transition.

If he can accomplish that, Bone should have enough talent to build a winner early in his tenure. And break a trend.