Bennett Says He’ll Return Next Season

Washington State Coach Dick Bennett said Tuesday he needs more time to rebuild the program and will return for a third season.

Bennett, the former Wisconsin coach, had toyed publicly with retiring after this season. But after talking with school administrators, he decided to return.

“I definitely will be back next year,” Bennett said in a conference call with reporters. “We need this third year of rebuilding.”

Bennett said he would likely retire after next season, but didn’t rule out staying on. His goal, he said, is to get the Washington State program in decent shape to turn over to a successor, who he hopes will be his son and assistant coach, Tony.

There is no doubt that Bennett has re-energized Washington State (10-13 overall, 5-9 in the Pacific 10 Conference) with a defense-oriented style.

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East Carolina Coach Bill Herrion won’t return next season, ending a six-year tenure with the Pirates that never produced a winning season.

A school spokesman confirmed the firing.

The Pirates are 69-96 under Herrion -- including 8-17 this season -- and play host to Southern Mississippi tonight.

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North Carolina forward Rashad McCants missed Tuesday’s game at North Carolina State because of an intestinal disorder. McCants has felt ill since the Feb. 13 game at Connecticut and missed much of the second half of Saturday’s game against Clemson because of an upset stomach. Trainer Marc Davis said doctors didn’t know when McCants would return to the lineup.

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Colorado Coach Ricardo Patton suspended starters Chris Copeland and Marcus Hall and reserves Martane Freeman and Julius Ashby for Tuesday night’s game at Missouri for violating an undisclosed team rule. The four will be allowed to play Saturday against Kansas State.