BENDER SLOWLY BREWING SUCCESS IN SEATTLE.

Byline: JON WILNER College Basketball 

Stanford dominated conversation when Pac-10 coaches, administrators and media gathered at an LAX hotel earlier this month. A few discussions focused on the fabulous freshmen at UCLA and Arizona, and on the improving programs at Cal and USC.

Washington was notably absent from the conversation, however, and with no apparent reason. The Huskies are one of the league's ascending programs - if not a Pac-10 title contender, then a challenger for second place. The NCAA Tournament, once a dream, is a given. Coach Bob Bender has 85 percent of his scoring back from the 1998 Sweet 16 team, the Pac-10's best big man, mammoth Todd MacCulloch, and two exciting wing players, Deon Luton and Donald Watts.

Five years removed from the dreary days of Lynn Nance, Washington isn't just a football school anymore.

``Actually, it's been a benefit to be at a football school,'' Bender said. ``That program has been such a huge ally and positive influence on us. It's created patience for what we're trying to do, but also given us some visibility with recruits. They look at football and see you can compete nationally at Washington.''

One of the best-liked coaches in the Pac-10, Bender, 41, is no longer known as the only man to play in the NCAA title game with two different teams, Indiana in 1976 and Duke in 1978. These days, he's a coveted commodity, having been a finalist for the Florida State job two years ago and the Texas position last spring.

When Bender arrived in 1993 after four years at Illinois State, he turned to then-football coach Don James for advice. James had built a national champion by recruiting the best players from Washington state and supplementing them with California and national talent.

He advised Bender to do the same, but it wasn't easy. Nance's plodding style and dour demeanor had repelled Seattle's best, and in his early years Bender failed to land guards Michael Dickerson and Jason Terry, who, seeking established success, signed with Arizona.

But Bender stuck to his plan. With an engaging style and honest touch, he signed Watts, from nearby Kirkland, he lured MacCulloch out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and he snatched Mark Sanford out of Texas.

``Coach Bender keeps it real,'' said Sanford, a former All-Pac-10 player who was a second-round NBA draft pick in 1997. ``He doesn't sugar-coat it. When he was recruiting me, I asked what their record was, and he looked me in the eye and said they were 5-22. He didn't give any excuses, he just dealt with it, and that was the main reason I signed.''

But Bender knew recruiting alone would not suffice. The Huskies improved to 10-17 his second season. The third year, though, was critical.

``I knew the first two years would be a struggle,'' he said. ``But by the third year, I knew we had to have a winning season. It was the first benchmark we pointed to. We couldn't talk anymore, it had to happen.''

When the Huskies won their 14th game that year - against Oregon State on Feb. 10, to ensure a winning season - they celebrated in Seattle. Washington stumbled in the stretch, losing eight of its last 11, but Bender finally had a foundation.

As he won games and signed that initial wave of recruits, a funny thing happened. Long a program to avoid, Washington became a destination for top Pacific Northwest talent.

The following fall, Bender signed three top recruits: Thalo Green (Salem, Ore.), Dan Dickau (Vancouver, Wash.) and Michael Johnson (Seattle). They'll complement MacCulloch and Watts this year, then step into the spotlight next season.

``Coach is doing it the right way,'' MacCulloch said. ``He's not taking a lot of junior college players. He's getting high school kids and sticking with them. He never negative-recruits. He just goes after good people.''

With last spring's success has come preseason expectations. For the first time in 13 years, the Huskies were ranked in the Associated Press preseason poll. (They are No. 14 this week and defeated North Carolina-Wilmington on Monday in their season opener.)

``We've intentionally not made a big deal about the polls and the predictions,'' Bender said. ``We've got to be prepared for everybody's best shot. Last year didn't prepare us for this. Our regular-season record (20-10) wasn't commensurate with our tournament success. Arizona and UCLA know what it's like to take everybody's best shot, but it's new for us.''

New, and welcomed.

Odds and ends: No, those were no misprints. Michigan did lose to Florida International and Ball State. . . . Arizona started two freshmen against Tennessee, but the one who didn't, forward Michael Wright, may have the most immediate impact. . . .

UCLA recruit Kareem Rush apparently will wait until the spring to sign a letter of intent, so he can maintain a shred of suspense. . . . omm'A Givens played for Brewster Packing in an exhibition game against Washington last weekend. He had blonde hair. . . .

Pepperdine coach Lorenzo Romar will face old friends Cameron Dollar and Jim Harrick next month. Dollar's Southern California College visits Malibu on Dec. 17, while Rhode Island's Harrick makes his post-UCLA coaching debut in L.A. on Dec. 29-30, in the Sparkletts Invitational at Pepperdine.