COUGARS

Washington State University president Elson Floyd signed off on new basketball coach Ken Bone's contract Monday and the university released it today. Read on for the unedited version of our story for tomorrow's S-R.
••••••••••

• Here's the story …

PULLMAN – A little more than a month after taking the job, new Washington State University basketball coach Ken Bone has a contract.

The university and Bone finalized a seven-year deal this week that will pay him $200,000 in base salary and $450,000 in supplemental income the first year.

"I never dreamed I would be spending this much money on a house, or a car or a pack of M&Ms either," Bone said when asked if he ever thought he would make $650,000 a year coaching basketball.

"A lot of things have changed over the years."

Bone's salary is scheduled to change as well, with raises of $100,000 a year during the second and third years. After that, Bone's yearly compensation is set at $850,000 unless both parties agree to a modification.

"To me coaching, more often over the years than not, it's been more of a hobby than a job," Bone said. "I just love being in the office, I just love being on the floor and I enjoy the job."

His contract also includes bonuses based on academic - $25,000 for a team grade point average of 2.50 or higher - and on-court success – ranging from coaching awards to post-season appearances.

Bone made $125,000 at Portland State last season along with about $7,500 in bonuses.

"When I got into coaching, shoot, I would have done it for free," said Bone of his compensation, "I just wanted to be a teacher and coach basketball."

The WSU contract also includes a one-time payment to Bone of $74,239.05 to cover his buyout at Portland State. His Washington State buyout – a payment owed the school if Bone is hired elsewhere – is on a sliding scale, with $500,000 until March 31, 2012, dropping to $400,000 through 2014 and $300,000 until the end of the contract in 2016.

• Bone confirmed this week back trouble will sideline junior Fabian Boeke, a 6-foot-11 center from Germany. Boeke, who had to sit out his freshman year due to an NCAA ruling concerning paid players on his German club team, played sparingly last season after undergoing off-season back surgery. He appeared in three games and converted one 3-pointer.

Boeke continually felt tingling his lower body and missed most of the year while trying to rehabilitate the injury. He has applied for a medical waiver, which would permit him to keep his scholarship without it counting against WSU's NCAA-allotted 13.

Bone said Charlie Enquist, a 6-10 redshirt sophomore who played in 11 games and scored 11 points as a freshman last season, would receive the scholarship.

•••

• That's it for now. We'll be back as events warrant, which means we'll be back tomorrow I'm sure. As we said yesterday, this run of news doesn't seem to be slowing down. Until then …

---

---