Which coaches are headed for a raise?
Posted: Thursday, September 18, 2008 6:06 PM
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Coaches
Bill Self got himself a fat raise this year. So did Trent Johnson, John Beilein, Travis Ford and Jeff Capel, all first-timers into the millionaire coaches club. Billy Donovan (even he hasn’t officially signed the dotted line yet), Bruce Pearl and Tony Bennett snagged huge pay bumps last season.
Though not quite in the same league as their football counterparts, college hoops coaches have been handsomely paid for some time, usually because of NCAA tournament success. (Average salary for a college football coach is about $1 million, according to USA Today. Average hoops coach makes $800,000.)
The top-paid coaches are who you’d expect. Donovan, Self, Thad Matta, John Calipari and Billy Gillispie are the top five, according to the list on this story. Pearl, Tom Crean, Rick Pitino and Rick Barnes round out the coaches making at least $2 million annually, with Ben Howland, Roy Williams, Tubby Smith and Tom Izzo right behind.
Yup, that’s a lotta dimp.
It made me wonder: Which coaches due for a big payday?
John Thompson III would seem like a good bet (back-to-back Big East titles and a Final Four the last two season) with another solid season at Georgetown. But he signed an extension last September that pays him about $900,000 a season through 2013, which makes him a longshot to get another pay bump without winning an NCAA title. Plus, would he really push Georgetown officials for more dough?
Gonzaga’s Mark Few reportedly makes about $600,000 a year. He’s had some NCAA tourney success and the Zags have dominated their conference every season, making him one of the hot commodities every offseason when coaching vacancies arise. Usually, the job rumors revolve around Oregon, his alma mater. The Ducks gave Ernie Kent an extension this offseason that includes a buyout around $1.5 million, so Few wouldn’t be cheap. Still, all that Nike money would make the move possible – IF Few wanted to go. So far, he’s always said no.
Jamie Dixon signed an extension with Pitt two years ago that took him into the $900,000 range. He’s won 132 games in five seasons, a Big East regular-season crown and a tournament title, along with a couple of Sweet 16 berths. He reportedly turned down Cal’s offer this summer, but could still jump at the right opportunity. After all, Ben Howland went from Pitt to UCLA.
Miami’s Frank Haith is another coach who recently signed an extension, but with the ‘Canes returning all five starters from last year’s 23-11 squad, he seems poised for a big year. Could a hoops-first school be in his near future?
Nevada has Mark Fox under contract through 2014, but he’s another coach who’s name is always circulated in the offseason rumor mill. He interviewed for the Cal job, but the Bears turned to Mike Montgomery instead.
Other young coaches like VCU’s Anthony Grant or Southern Illinois’ Chris Lowery seem like promising fits, but unlikely to command big paydays.
The guys I’d tag as the most likely for big raises? Lon Kruger, Tim Floyd and Sean Miller.
Kruger, who will make about $800,000 through 2013, has had success at big schools (Kansas State, Florida and Illinois), been to NBA and thrived with UNLV, winning 57 games in the last two seasons and reaching the Sweet 16 two years ago. If a big school comes calling, Kruger’s track record shows he’d jump.
Floyd makes about $850,000 at USC, but his reported price tag of $1.5 to $2 million scared off LSU this summer. Next time, that may not be too much.
Miller’s the one I’d really want, though. He’s coming off a 30-win season that included a run to the Elite Eight. He’s also the one with a contract that runs through 2018 at Xavier. He wouldn’t be cheap, but he’d be worth it.
