May 12, 2007

Tony Bennett

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Washington State men's basketball coaches Tony Bennett and Ben Johnson were inducted into the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Athletics Hall of Fame, Saturday.

Bennett, the current WSU head coach, played for the Phoenix during the 1989-92 seasons. He finished his career as Wisconsin-Green Bay's all-time leading scorer with 2,285 points and leading assist man with 601. His 3-point field goal percentage of 49.7 is still a NCAA record. As a junior, he helped UWGB reach its first NCAA Tournament and was named honorable mention All-American by United Press International. Both UPI and the Associated Press selected Bennett as honorable mention All-American after his senior year and the guard was selected GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year in 1992.

Ben Johnson

A second round draft pick of the Charlotte Hornets in 1992, Bennett played three seasons in the NBA. His No. 25 was retired by the Phoenix, Feb. 18, 1995 and he remains the only men's basketball student-athlete to receive the accolade at UWGB. In 2006-07, he led Washington State to a school-record tying 26 wins and the Cougars' first NCAA Tournament win since 1983. He earned nine national coach of the year awards. Bennett joins his father and former WSU Head Coach Dick Bennett in the UWGB Athletics Hall of Fame. The elder Bennett was inducted in 2002.

Johnson, a current assistant on Bennett's staff, was his boss's teammate from 1989-92 while playing for Dick Bennett. Johnson finished his career ranked second all-time at UWGB with 166 steals. He set a senior record with 53 steals, a mark that is still the standard for the Phoenix. He was part of the 1991 NCAA Tournament team, as well as 1990 and 1992 NIT teams at UWGB.

A player and coach in Australia after graduation, Johnson was an assistant coach for seven seasons at his alma mater before coming to Pullman as an assistant coach. He worked for Dick Bennett from 2004-06 and was part of the 2006-07 staff under Tony Bennett that guided the Cougars to their first NCAA Tournament since 1994.

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