We were well aware of Tony Bennett before he came to Virginia. We followed his NBA career and of course followed his father Dick and the insane defense his Green Bay and, later, Wisconsin teams played.
Bennett went to Washington State with his dad and was designated his successor. When Dick retired in 2006, Tony took over and immediately posted two 26-win seasons - no big deal in the ACC but stunning at Washington State - and posted a more normal 17-16 before moving on to Virginia.
Still, Washington State, located in Pullman, just a brisk walk from the Idaho border and 18 minutes from the University of Idaho in Moscow, is not exactly a great place to kick off your head coaching career.