Washington State fires Bone

Washington State fired head coach Ken Bone after five years, including a 10-21 record this season, the school announced Tuesday.

“Ken and I met earlier today,” Washington State athletic director Bill Moos said in a statement. “At that meeting I informed him I would be making a change in the direction of the program.

“I appreciate what Ken has done for Cougar Basketball, leading us to the postseason twice in the last four years, and I thanked him for his service to WSU. But at this point we need to revitalize our fan base, particularly our student body, and position this program to compete for championships.”

Bone has two years left on his seven-year deal with the Cougars, with about $1.7 million remaining to be paid.

Bone was 80-86 over his five seasons in Pullman, but was just 23-40 the past two seasons. Washington State finished 3-15 in the Pac-12 this season.

“We’ve gone in a (downward) direction. It’s not good enough,” Bone told The Spokesman-Review. “People are disappointed in me? I bet I’m more disappointed than they are. I mean I’m competitive, too. I’m not content with mediocrity.”