LC’s Redmon requests release from Washington agreement

Lewis and Clark High senior Katelan Redmon has asked for a release from her scholarship agreement with the University of Washington, her father confirmed Tuesday.

Chuck Redmon said his daughter applied for the release Monday and that UW is in the process of reviewing that request.

“I think it’s going to be a battle,” Redmon said of his daughter’s attempt to look elsewhere. “I don’t think it will come very easily.”

Redmon is part of a nationally ranked recruiting class that signed last fall under head coach June Daugherty. Last month, UW athletic director Todd Turner opted not to renew Daugherty’s contract, and last week she was introduced as the new head coach at Washington State.

That move prompted speculation that some of her recruits from the fall could seek to switch allegiances to WSU.

Katelan Redmon, who won a pair of State 4A titles in high school, specified that a release would not necessarily mean that she would head to WSU. Her second choice after the original recruiting process was Michigan State, a school that also saw its coach leave after the season.

“If I decided to leave, it opens up tons of options,” said Redmon, who received more than 20 scholarship offers. “I could basically do whatever I needed to do.”

A spokesman for UW said that the school had no comment on Redmon’s request, and a phone message left for Turner was not returned.

“If Katelan’s going to switch and go from Washington to WSU, I don’t know,” said Ron Adams, who coached Redmon on the Spokane Stars. “I’m sure Washington State would be one of the top ones.”

Chuck Redmon confirmed that Daugherty’s presence at Washington was a major reason for her decision to sign with the Huskies in the first place.

“Katie and June created kind of a bond,” he said. “Of course, it’s all unraveled (at UW). … There was a good sense going over there and playing with June, and that’s gone.

“It’s not the same game we signed up for.”

New Washington coach Tia Jackson has spoken with the Redmon family on multiple occasions, but has yet to meet them in person.

Daugherty still looking

In Pullman, Daugherty is still in the interviewing process for three positions on her staff.

Daugherty’s husband, Mike, will serve as the Cougars’ associate head coach, as he did at Washington, but WSU’s new head coach still needs two assistants and a director of basketball operations.

“I have had a couple of candidates on campus,” she said from her new office. “I am going to interview probably three or four more candidates and hopefully within that pool we’ll make a decision. But not necessarily — it’s been pretty exciting, just with the interest from a lot of coaches from all areas of the country and all different levels.”

Daugherty indicated that former UW assistants Janet Soderberg and Kellie Lewis-Jay are still available but may be looking elsewhere for next season.

“I know that they’ve all pretty much been interviewing at other places, too,” Daugherty said. “I’m not sure what their situation is.”

Daugherty can’t comment on specific recruits, but she repeated a refrain from her introductory news conference, saying that she is in touch with coaches about prospects, including some that are international players.

“It’s a little bit late, and it’s real important in the selection process that I’ve seen these players play and know their character,” she said.