To contribute to the A.D.'s Fund for Basketball Excellence click Here
I would like to begin this column by welcoming new women's basketball coach June Daugherty to the Cougar Family.
After exhaustive research and meeting with her, I believe she is the one to turn the women's basketball program into a winner, both on and off the court.
June has a record of success as evidenced by leading Washington to nine postseason appearances in her 11 years at the University. In addition to her on the court achievements, her players did well academically and graduated; she is very well respected by high school and junior college coaches in the Pacific Northwest and West coast, and she knows the recruiting trails as well as anyone in the region.
Moving over to the men's side of the hardwood, now that some time has passed to reflect, I know you share with me the tremendous sense of "Cougar Pride" we feel toward the men's basketball team and the historic season the team registered in 2007.
The 26 wins by the team tied it with the 1941 national runner-up squad for the most in school history, and not only did the Cougars make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1994, they posted their first NCAA Tournament win in 24 years with a first round defeat of Oral Roberts.
Tony Bennett achieved one of the most decorated seasons that any coach has seen, earning numerous coach of the year honors, including Naismith and Associated Press accolades. We are excited that one of the best coaches in college basketball resides at Washington State, and I look forward to what the future holds for the program.
In addition, when you talk about Tony and the performance of our team this year, you must also give credit to his assistants, as well as the student-athletes who have committed themselves to excellence both on and off the court.
Excellence in all facets of the student-athlete experience is what we strive to achieve at Washington State University. This past February's "A.D. Forum" column expressed the importance that you, the Cougar alumni, fan and supporter, can play in the success of all our athletic programs.
In our ongoing effort to enhance the basketball programs and its facilities, I developed an "A.D.'s Fund for Basketball Excellence," with the monies from this fund directed specifically for just this purpose.
The launching pad for the fund came from a generous donation from Mikal and Lynn Thomsen. The couple committed $25,000 over the next five years to the excellence fund. The Thomsen's dedication to Cougar Athletics demonstrates how Cougar supporters can play a pivotal role in the continued development of all of our athletic programs.
Following the example the Thomsen's set, the members of the Cougar Nation have stepped up to the plate and contributed a total of $602,422 in gifts and pledges (as of April 24) to the fund.
I want to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has made a donation to the fund. This exemplifies what being a Cougar is all about.
Our vision is to provide one of the best student-athlete experiences in the nation. We achieve this vision by sustaining and growing one of the strongest public academic and athletic institutions nationally. Examples of this are increasing student-athlete scholarship support and providing world-class facilities to our student-athletes.
The continuing renovation of the basketball facilities is just one aspect of our mission to provide these world-class facilities, which also include the renovation of the football stadium and the planned construction of an indoor rowing tank.
The development of these facilities occurs largely because of the financial support of Cougar supporters such as you. With your generous donations to the "A.D.'s Fund for Basketball Excellence," you have played a tremendous role in the development of our basketball programs, and your continued backing of Cougar Athletics will serve as a wonderful asset to the University in the future.
Go Cougs!
To contribute to the A.D.'s Fund for Basketball Excellence click Here
