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WSU hopes to have Bennett deal soon

By Glenn Kasses glennk@spokesman.com

PULLMAN – Washington State hopes to come to a contract agreement or something close to it with men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett in the next week, athletic director Jim Sterk said.

Beyond that, Sterk was not inclined to talk much about the process of trying to renegotiate the contract of his coach, who has become one of the hotter commodities in the nation after leading the Cougars to a 26-8 record in his first season.

Sterk indicated that he has had conversations since the season’s end with Bennett about a number of issues, including the contract, and that would seem to be the strongest indication that the coach may be inclined to return to the Palouse for at least another season.

“We’re trying to get things done by the Final Four,” Sterk said.

Sterk added that no schools have contacted him for permission to negotiate with Bennett.

Although that’s not a guarantee that Bennett has not been contacted by another school, it’s an expected courtesy, especially since WSU has the coach under contract for four more years already. The coach, who has said almost nothing specific about the situation, did not return a phone message seeking a comment.

The Final Four starts a week from today, with Division I coaches – and occasionally athletic directors in pursuit of those coaches – traditionally gathering in the host city, which this year is Atlanta.

In his first contract year, which ends March 31, Bennett made a guaranteed salary of $350,000, a number that is slated to increase by $25,000 a year under the current contract’s terms.

The 37-year-old has also secured $22,500 in bonuses by taking the Cougars into postseason play and by winning Pac-10 Coach of the Year. Should he win any one of three major national coach of the year awards, as is expected, he’ll earn another $25,000.

But Sterk has previously indicated he hopes to double or triple Bennett’s salary through renegotiation, an increase that would bring his compensation in line with that of many other coaches at major-conference schools.