WSU decides not to extend season

COUGARS • UPDATED: 2:35 P.M.

Just got off the phone with WSU sports information basketball contact Jessica Schmick - I had asked earlier today about postseason - and she said coach Ken Bone had decided it would be best not to pursue a berth in the CBI or any other postseason tourney. That means WSU’s season, Bone’s first in Pullman, will end 16-15.

UPDATE: Read on for more on WSU’s decision.

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• After the loss to Oregon on Wednesday night, the Cougars seemed intent on exploring their options for the postseason. The CBI was about the only option, and that would, in the long run, probably cost a few bucks. If you host a CBI game, you better have revenues of about $75,000 if you want to break even, because the organization that runs the tournament has a $60,000 fee and it takes about $15,000 to put on a home game at Beasley. Road games are different - WSU wouldn’t have been able to host this week due to spring break and the NCAA tourney in Spokane, hosted by the school - but, if you want to be considered, I’ve been told, you have to be ready to host at some point down the pike. I believe the WSU administration was willing to do this if Bone felt it was crucial for the team’s maturation process. As I wasn’t in the coaches’ offices when discussions about postseason occurred, I can’t tell you exactly what was behind the decision to not seek to continue the season. But I’m sure finances had some role, however minor, as did the wearing nature of the year. When I talked with women’s coach June Daugherty before her team’s Pac-10 tournament game, she mentioned how freshmen are shocked by the mental demands of college basketball. The physical demands are different, sure, but the time these players put in, the film sessions, the meetings, the class requirements, all combine to tax even the most solid freshmen athletes. It’s a learning process for each. Whatever the reasons behind the decision, you can be sure it wasn’t made spur of the moment, as it’s been more a couple days since the Oregon defeat. … By the way, here’s a pretty interesting column from Greg Hansen about the changing Pac-10 hierarchy.

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• That’s it for now. We’ll be back as events warrant.