Oftentimes in sports, head coaches are the first people to receive the blame for a team’s disapproval among fans. If they’re not winning games or producing numbers, they’ll be the first to receive a pink slip. 

The Washington State men’s basketball team is 78-73 under Head Coach Ken Bone and 27-49 in conference play, with two last place finishes in the Pac-12 conference. 

This is Bone’s fifth year with the team. The most successful team accomplishment he produced was an appearance in the NIT Semifinals in the 2010-11 season. 

He is currently set to make $850,000 on his contract through the 2015-16 season. It’s completely absurd to pay Bone that kind of money.

In football, a successful season is measured by earning the right to play and win a bowl game. Basketball has its own playoff system. The big dance, known as the NCAA Tournament, is something Ken Bone and his Cougars have yet to experience. 

Cougar supporters shouldn’t have to settle for a team that epitomizes mediocrity. For a basketball program to average about five conference wins out of 18 games in a season is just unacceptable. 

The Pac-12 is becoming one of the toughest conferences, with teams combining explosive guards with centers who can score at will. So far Bone is failing to adjust. 

Coaches can’t control everything that occurs outside the basketball court, but they can manage recruiting, another task Bone and his coaching staff have failed to do adequately. In fact, outside of DaVonte Lacy and Brock Motum, there hasn’t been a scorer that can consistently light up the scoreboard, something fans expect to see out of a quality recruiting class.  

Bone and his staff also don’t know how to recruit a center. The majority of Bone’s recruiting classes are guard-oriented players with good defense. That doesn’t work in the Pac-12 when you play against teams like Arizona, who have Aaron Gordon or Dwight Powell from Stanford and Kyle Anderson from UCLA, all of whom are averaging nearly a double-double. 

Bone and his staff did lure Jordan Railey from Iowa State this year to help out the defensive side, but Railey isn’t going to score in double figures consistently. Then there’s true freshman Josh Hawkinson, who’s been a complete disaster in the 106 minutes he’s played. Since 2009, Bone and his staff have acquired barely average recruiting classes at best. 

Whether you loved or hated former WSU men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett, one thing you couldn’t argue with was that he led WSU to the NCAA Tournament multiple times, including a Sweet 16 appearance in the 2007-08 season. 

Since then, attendance has completely bottomed out at Beasley Coliseum. WSU is lucky now if 5,000 fans show up, and can you really blame them? WSU supporters need a change at the head coach level. Bone is clearly not the key to building a successful men’s basketball program.

Athletic Director Bill Moos is better off eating Bone’s salary and hiring someone else for a multimillion dollar contract, even if it does cost the school some money. In March of 2013, ESPN reported that firing Bone could be an expensive proposition for WSU with a $2.55 million buyout. While it’s unlikely WSU would choose to fire him, it is still necessary. Bone and his staff are digging WSU into a deeper hole that could eventually become very difficult to climb out of. 

Why would a potential recruit want to sign with WSU if Bone hasn’t even proved he can win 10 conference games? A new coach will completely change the environment and create new energy. Perhaps most importantly, he could tap unchartered waters in recruiting, something fans are desperately eager to witness. 

 Enough is enough. It’s time to fire Bone.