About two months ago, I wrote an
article on Washington State University’s basketball program. The program was
facing a crisis in head basketball coach Ken Bone. The big question that soon
became answered was, “Is this the year Bone is fired?” Fast-forward two months
later in March, WSU athletic director Bill Moos fires Bone on March 18, 2014
after five years as the head coach posting an 80-86 overall record. About two
weeks later, Moos announced the hiring of former University of Oregon
basketball coach Ernie Kent. At first glance, this hire is not a surprise. Kent
and Moos worked with each other at Oregon, Moos hired Kent to coach at Oregon
leading the Oregon Ducks to multiple NCAA tournament appearances and a great
level of success in Eugene. Even though WSU basketball is at rock bottom, Moos
encourages the Cougar faithful to be excited about the future of WSU hoops. “I
have witnessed firsthand his many talents. He has proven that he can win
championships in our conference” (wsucougars.com). With hiring Kent comes an
established resume filled with a lot of experience and recognition from his
tenures at Saint Mary’s University and his alma mater, University of Oregon.
Ernie
Kent began his coaching career in 1980, coaching in Saudi Arabia for the Al-Khaleej
Club as a basketball coach. In 1987, Kent became the assistant coach at
Colorado State University before taking his assistant coaching duties at
Stanford University from 1989-1991. In 1991, Kent would earn his big break
becoming the head coach at Saint Mary’s University in Moraga, CA.
As
the new head basketball coach at Saint Mary’s charged with the goal of
rebuilding a struggling basketball program, Kent’s first season with the Saint
Mary Gael’s would finish 13-17 overall and a 6th place finish in
the West Coast Conference in 1992. Unfortunately for Kent, the next four
seasons did not result in a post-season tournament birth. However, in Kent’s
fifth year he would coach the Gael’s to a 23-8 record locking up a first place
tie in the WCC Conference earning a bid to play in the NCAA tournament in 1997.
The Gael’s season would come to a halting stop with a first round elimination
to Wake Forest University. Kent would leave the Saint Mary’s basketball program
with a 90-80 overall record but only a 40-44 WCC conference record. In 1997,
Kent is named the head basketball coach at his alma mater University of Oregon.
Ernie
Kent coached at the University of Oregon from 1997-2010. In thirteen years,
Kent took his alma mater to five NCAA tournament appearances, two of those
appearances resulting in elite eight finishes (2002 and 2007). Before Kent took
over Oregon, the university’s last elite eight appearance was in 1960,
forty-two years removed from 2002. That same year in 2002, Oregon won the
PAC-10 conference title for the first time since 1944. Kent was named PAC-10
coach of the year in 2002. During Kent’s tenure he would also win two PAC-10
conference tournament championships in 2003 and 2007 and produce four NBA first
round draft picks in Fred Jones, Luke Ridnour, Luke Jackson, and Aaron Brooks. Ridnour
played on Kent’s elite eight team and conference title team in 2002 and Brooks
in 2008 with Kent’s last elite eight appearance at Oregon. Despite multiple NCAA tournament appearances
and taking Oregon to a higher level of achievement, Kent’s last two seasons at
Oregon resulted in last place finish in the PAC-10 standings in 2009 and an
eighth place tie in 2010. As a result, athletic director Mike Bellotti fired
Kent on March 17, 2010.
Kent
leaves Oregon after taking the program to unbelievable success with five NCAA
appearances, one conference championship title, two conference tournament
championships, and four NBA first round draft picks. “I think the
accomplishments that Ernie has done speak for themselves. He’s given his life
to the university as a student, a teacher and a coach,” said Bellotti
(ESPN.com). Kent leaves his alma mater with the most wins as a basketball coach
at Oregon. “You may find a better basketball coach, but I don’t think you’ll
find anybody that has the passion and love that I have for this university”
said Kent. (ESPN.com)
After
Kent’s dismissal at Oregon, he flirted around as a sports broadcaster with the
PAC-12 Network until March of 2014. On March 31, 2014, Moos announced the
hiring of Kent to rebuild a struggling basketball program that has not been to
the NCAA tournament since 2008. One of the biggest reasons why Moos hired Kent
a second time in his career is because Moos knows firsthand that Kent can
achieve a level of outstanding success at a program. “Together we saw
tremendous success at his alma mater and I have every reason to expect to see
the same at mine,” said Moos. (wsucougars.com) Kent brings exciting success to
the table as WSU’s new basketball coach. He rebuilt two basketball programs by
taking Saint Mary’s to the NCAA tournament and Oregon to the NCAA tournament five
times in a 12-year span. “It’s very exciting to see WSU get someone who has had
a coach who has previous experience in the conference and knows how to win in
the conference,” said WSU student, Ben McEnderfer.
As
Ernie Kent was being introduced as the new Cougar hoops head basketball coach,
a meet-and-greet of Ernie Kent organized by the WSU athletic department was
held in Bohler Gym on April 2, 2014. This event marked the first time Kent
engaged with the WSU student body. During the greet, Kent talked about “The
Process” of rebuilding the WSU basketball program by noting how important the
student section is to the success of a college basketball program. “No program
in the country -- and I’m talking about the tops in the country, like Duke,
Kansas, and Kentucky -- can succeed without a standout student section.”
(cougcenter.com) Hundreds of students attended the event in anticipation of
hearing the new basketball coach’s first words and came away impressed. At the
end of the meet and greet, Kent received a standing ovation. Cougar fans are
ready to buy into “The Process” and to be excited about the future of Cougar
hoops.
Hiring
Ernie Kent without a doubt is a step in the right direction. Kent has proven
throughout his coaching career that he can rebuild basketball programs to
compete at a high level. His resume is off the charts loaded with sustaining
success. “Ernie Kent comes to WSU with sterling credentials and the necessary
skill set to take the basketball program to higher levels of achievement,” said
former Washington State head basketball coach George Raveling. (wsucougars.com)
Kent is confident he can rebuild the WSU basketball team to experience similar
success from WSU’s 2007 and 2008 basketball teams resulting in two back-to-back
NCAA tournament appearances and a Sweet Sixteen birth in 2008 for just the
second time in the school’s history. “Ernie
Kent will get WSU back to the tournament by having a high scoring offense that
teams will have a difficult time keeping up with,” said WSU student, Bobby
Hogle.
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