UConn coach Ollie gets five-year deal
Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie agreed to a five-year contract extension, the school announced Saturday afternoon.
Ollie is working under a one-year, $625,000 contract since September when he took over for the retired Jim Calhoun. His new deal calls for a significant pay raise, believed to be just under $7 million over the five-year span.
"As I said in my first press conference (when he was announced as Calhoun's replacement), I want to be here a lifetime, and this is a step, hopefully a great step, in the program moving forward," Ollie told reporters at a press conference.
The new deal is a late Christmas and birthday gift for Ollie, who turned 40 on Thursday. He played at UConn and under Calhoun from 1991-95, then went on to an 11-year career in the NBA before joining Calhoun's staff as an assistant coach in 2010. Ollie was Calhoun's hand-picked replacement. This is his first head coaching job.
''He's shown that he can coach, that he can lead this team on the court and academically,'' athletic director Warde Manuel said. ''He's the epitome of an UConn Husky.''
The Huskies finished 20-14 last season and were picked to finish ninth in the Big East. They are academically ineligible for the postseason.
Ollie played for Connecticut and played 13 seasons in the NBA. He was hired by Calhoun as an assistant coach for the Huskies in 2010. UConn improved to 10-2 Saturday night with a 61-53 win over Washington.
