Fast Break

Men’s basketball

Bennett receives record contract

Tony Bennett will receive the largest contract in Washington State University coaching history after leading the Cougars to their best season in decades.

Bennett’s new, seven-year contract will pay him a guaranteed $800,000 per year as long as he stays at WSU through March 15 of each season, the Seattle Times reported Friday.

Bennett won numerous college coach-of-the-year awards after leading the Cougars to a 26-8 record last season.

Bennett, who originally was signed to a five-year, $2 million deal in 2006, will more than double the $350,000 he made last season as a rookie coach.

NFL

Seahawks see healthy camp

While there are plenty of juicy storylines as the Seattle Seahawks prepare for their first Kirkland, Wash., minicamp in 12 years, there are a couple that the team would like to nip in the bud.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck’s non-throwing shoulder is just fine, thank you.

As for running back Shaun Alexander’s foot? Head coach Mike Holmgren summed that up succinctly in June when he declared it a “non-story.”

Last year’s injuries are behind the Seahawks, who prefer instead to look forward to the 2007 regular season.

“Last year was last year,” Alexander said, the day before veterans were required to report to training camp and two days before the first practice. “You can’t live in the past. I can’t live on the year when I had 27 touchdowns (in 2005), just like I can’t worry about what happened last year.”

The Seahawks held their training camp in Cheney during the previous 10 years.

College football

FSN picks up WSU-Idaho

Washington State’s Sept. 15 non-conference game against Idaho will be televised on FSN, WSU director of athletics Jim Sterk announced.

Four other Cougars games will be on live national or regional TV, including the Sept. 1 season opener at Wisconsin, on ABC.