Bennetts enjoy success together

DENVER – A crowd of reporters clustered in a dim vomitorium in the Pepsi Center, waiting for Washington State’s locker room to open after the Cougars’ 61-41 rout of Notre Dame on Saturday, when they were joined by a man without a notebook, camera or NCAA tournament credentials.

Dick Bennett lingered at the fringes of the pack for a moment, humility still very much a part of his makeup and principles.

“Do you think they’ll let me in there?” he finally asked.

Well, yeah. There’s a pretty good chance you’ll be welcome in there, Coach.

The father of WSU coach Tony Bennett – and his predecessor as architect of the school’s current basketball renaissance – was too nervous to attend the Cougars’ opening-round romp over Winthrop on Thursday. But he couldn’t stay away once the Cougs were on the threshold of their first trip to the Sweet 16 in the era of expanded tournament play, and his son couldn’t have been happier to share the moment with him.

“He was real happy,” said Tony Bennett of their postgame embrace in the stands – which also included his mother, Anne, his wife, Laurel, and their two children, Anna and Eli. “He said, ‘Great job, son.’

“He’s proud of these guys. I told the CBS people he deserves so much credit. He started this thing, installed the system. He just wanted it so much.”

He also “took a bullet for the program,” as Tony has often said, enduring the struggles of three young teams that went 36-49 in his three years as head coach while trying to impart wisdom, confidence and character. He didn’t stop when he reached the Pepsi Center on Saturday.

“He told all the guys when we walked into the arena today, ‘No fears, no regrets,’ ” Tony said.

With the Cougars well in control as the game moved into the closing minutes, Tony said he looked into the stands and “caught his eye. I think he was praying.”

Tony Bennett still has a couple of steps to go to catch his father, who took Wisconsin to the Final Four in 2000 – and obviously wouldn’t mind replicating it.

“I got to go along on the ride with him in 2000 and I remember how special each step of that was,” Tony said.

Dick Bennett turning up Saturday was pretty special, too.

“After the game, we were in here talking about it and they open (the door) up and he just comes out of nowhere with that walk,” laughed senior Kyle Weaver. “And then he gives that growl of his. Just that little energy he brings, seeing him be excited about this whole thing he started is great.”