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NCAA win could pay off for Griz coaches
By ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian
Winning an NCAA tournament game could pay off big for all Montana college athletic programs, as well as for Grizzly basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak and his assistants.
Krystkowiak stands to earn $25,000 in bonuses under a proposal the University of Montana is sending to the state Board of Regents next month. UM President George Dennison said the idea already has a tentative OK from the regents.
“It's in the form of an incentive,” Dennison said Thursday. “Certain benchmarks must be met and then the bonus can be awarded. This is a way of recognizing the coaches for their achievement. It says something to the coaches and something to the fans that we're willing to recognize that achievement.”
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The biggest part of the package came from the Grizzlies' first-round victory over Nevada in the NCAA tournament. That translated to $15,000 for Krystkowiak and $7,500 for his three assistant coaches.
Dennison said the head coach would also be rewarded for several other accomplishments. They include $2,500 for raising average attendance at games and $2,500 for raising team grade-point averages.
“The GPA is up to 3.25 this year, and our attendance went up to about 5,000 average per game,” Dennison said. “It was down in the high threes (3,000) before.”
Assistant coaches would not be eligible for those bonuses because it's more the head coach's responsibility to achieve those program goals, Dennison said.
Money for the bonuses comes from the extra ticket sales that higher attendance produced, as well as the increased TV income the Grizzlies earned by appearing in the NCAA tournament.
Montana university coaches and administrators are limited to one-year contracts. UM Athletic Director Jim O'Day said he is developing a combined proposal of permanent incentive offerings and multi-year contract ability for the Board of Regents meeting in May. In the proposal, the incentives would be tailored to each intercollegiate sports program, according to their tournament opportunities, revenue and other factors.
“We put together bonus packages for football when it won two national championships,” O'Day said. “It's something we've done a number of times for special occasions. We wanted to see what we could put together.”
Krystkowiak's contract expires June 30. He is currently paid $105,000 in salary. He earns additional money from TV and radio appearances, shoe endorsements and basketball camps that bring his compensation to about $125,000, Dennison said. Although some of the payments come from outside contracts, the NCAA requires all money to be accounted for through the university.
Winning an NCAA game qualifies the Big Sky Conference for a $170,000 annual payment for the next six years. That is split among the eight teams in the conference, giving UM a $21,250 share.
The timing was perfect, Dennison said, because the conference's last win in the NCAA tournament was Weber State five years ago. The Grizzlies' win re-upped the payment for another six years.
“That one victory resulted in a good deal of money for the conference,” Dennison said. “Just because of the national attention you get, it's just incredible.”
Reporter Rob Chaney can be reached at 523-5382 or at [email protected]
By ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian
Winning an NCAA tournament game could pay off big for all Montana college athletic programs, as well as for Grizzly basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak and his assistants.
Krystkowiak stands to earn $25,000 in bonuses under a proposal the University of Montana is sending to the state Board of Regents next month. UM President George Dennison said the idea already has a tentative OK from the regents.
“It's in the form of an incentive,” Dennison said Thursday. “Certain benchmarks must be met and then the bonus can be awarded. This is a way of recognizing the coaches for their achievement. It says something to the coaches and something to the fans that we're willing to recognize that achievement.”
*
The biggest part of the package came from the Grizzlies' first-round victory over Nevada in the NCAA tournament. That translated to $15,000 for Krystkowiak and $7,500 for his three assistant coaches.
Dennison said the head coach would also be rewarded for several other accomplishments. They include $2,500 for raising average attendance at games and $2,500 for raising team grade-point averages.
“The GPA is up to 3.25 this year, and our attendance went up to about 5,000 average per game,” Dennison said. “It was down in the high threes (3,000) before.”
Assistant coaches would not be eligible for those bonuses because it's more the head coach's responsibility to achieve those program goals, Dennison said.
Money for the bonuses comes from the extra ticket sales that higher attendance produced, as well as the increased TV income the Grizzlies earned by appearing in the NCAA tournament.
Montana university coaches and administrators are limited to one-year contracts. UM Athletic Director Jim O'Day said he is developing a combined proposal of permanent incentive offerings and multi-year contract ability for the Board of Regents meeting in May. In the proposal, the incentives would be tailored to each intercollegiate sports program, according to their tournament opportunities, revenue and other factors.
“We put together bonus packages for football when it won two national championships,” O'Day said. “It's something we've done a number of times for special occasions. We wanted to see what we could put together.”
Krystkowiak's contract expires June 30. He is currently paid $105,000 in salary. He earns additional money from TV and radio appearances, shoe endorsements and basketball camps that bring his compensation to about $125,000, Dennison said. Although some of the payments come from outside contracts, the NCAA requires all money to be accounted for through the university.
Winning an NCAA game qualifies the Big Sky Conference for a $170,000 annual payment for the next six years. That is split among the eight teams in the conference, giving UM a $21,250 share.
The timing was perfect, Dennison said, because the conference's last win in the NCAA tournament was Weber State five years ago. The Grizzlies' win re-upped the payment for another six years.
“That one victory resulted in a good deal of money for the conference,” Dennison said. “Just because of the national attention you get, it's just incredible.”
Reporter Rob Chaney can be reached at 523-5382 or at [email protected]
