Daugherty hired by Cougars

4/20/2007 5:15 PM

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press Writer

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Fired by Washington despite a winning record, June Daugherty was introduced Friday as the women's basketball coach at rival Washington State and didn't take long to get into the spirit.

``Go Cougs!'' Daugherty said at the end of a news conference in which she took a few swipes at her former employer and promised to bring success to the downtrodden Cougars.

``Welcome to the new championship era in Washington State women's basketball,'' Daugherty said. ``I am fired up.''

Daugherty, whose UW teams beat Washington State all 22 times they played, was asked if a chance at some revenge against the Huskies figured in her decision to go to the cross-state rival.

``More than you'll ever know,'' she said, drawing laughter and applause from people in the room in Pullman.

Daugherty is taking over a program that has not had a winning season since 1995-96.

She replaces Sherri Murrell, who resigned April 5 after compiling a 27-114 record in five years as coach. Murrell was 8-82 in Pac-10 play.

While Washington State has suffered years of futility in basketball, the bar was raised after the unexpected success of the men's team last year. The men finished second in the Pacific-10 and made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1994.

The 50-year-old Daugherty coached Washington to the NCAA tournament the past two seasons and in six of her 11 years with the Huskies. She was dismissed by Washington on March 18, one day after the Huskies lost their first-round game in the NCAA tournament to Iowa State.

At Washington, Daugherty compiled a 191-139 overall record and a 113-85 Pac-10 mark. Daugherty coached from 1989-96 at Boise State, where was 123-74.

``We all really feel we hit a home run with June Daugherty,'' athletic director Jim Sterk said in introducing the seventh head coach in WSU history.

Daugherty said her husband and longtime assistant, Mike, will be associate head coach.

She said any players whom she recruited to Washington who want to follow her to Washington State should be allowed to do so.

``The kids should go where they want,'' she said.

The Cougars return their two top scorers, Marisa Stotler (10.4 points) and Katie Appleton (8.1). Their best player, Kate Benz, graduated.