Jul 18, 2008 - 4:06 PM
0 shoutsEUGENE, Oregon (Ticker) -- Oregon men's basketball coach Ernie Kent agreed to a new contract on Friday, keeping him with the school through the 2012-13 season.
Kent, who has guided Oregon to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two years, will have his minimum salary raised to $1.06 million by $60,000. Also, over $347,000 will be provided for the program, enabling the Ducks to increase compensation for Kent's staff and hire their own strength and conditioning coach.
The agreement also calls for Kent's buyout of the contract to be raised to $1.15 million.
"Ernie's acknowledgment of the role that his staff has played in the program's success reached the point that he was willing to deflect substantial personal gain to aid the continued growth of the program," Oregon director of athletics Pat Kilkenny said. "That speaks a lot not only for the commitment he has for his players and staff, but also the university and this community."
A former player at Oregon, Kent will be going into his 12th season with the school in the fall and has compiled a 211-134 record along with five appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Kent, 53, stands one win away from tying Hall of Famer Howard Hobson as the school's all-time winningest coach.
This past season, the Ducks went 18-14 en route to an appearance in the first round of the NCAAs.
"I am honored to have been the head basketball coach at the University of Oregon for the last 11 years," Kent said. "It is a place I remain truly passionate about.
"But our work here has just started. I want to build on the momentum and excitement that has been generated from our recent success and has translated into a great incoming recruiting class, as well as a new arena on the horizon, and take this program to the next level."
