How much does Michael Lewis, Ball State men's basketball coaches make?
MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State men's basketball coach Michael Lewis signed a six-year contract in March 2022. From there, he was responsible for deciding who would coach alongside him during his first head coaching gig.
Lewis brought in Lou Gudino as an associate head coach and Jamal Meeks as an assistant. He also retained assistant Ben Botts and Bill Comar, who was named special assistant to the head coach.
The five-person men's basketball staff will make over $835,000 during the 2022-23 season before bonuses, The Star Press learned through obtained contracts.
Lewis, of course, leads the way with a $335,000 base salary, which comes with an annual supplemental compensation of $100,000 in Year 1 and is increased by $10,000 every year after. Lewis' contract also comes with incentive pay each season, which could push his annual salary well above $500,000. Former head coach James Whitford's annual base salary was $336,083 in his final season.
Michael Lewis' annual incentive pay
MAC Coach of the Year: $10,000
National Coach of the Year: $25,000
Participation in MAC championship: $5,000
MAC Tournament champion: $25,000
NCAA Tournament participation: $20,000
NCAA Tournament victory: $15,000 (per game)
NCAA Final Four appearance: $50,000
NCAA championship: $100,000
NIT participation: $10,000
NIT game victory: $5,000 (per game)
Team APY > 975: $2,500
Team spring semester GPA > 3.00: $2,500
Power Five win: $2,500 (per win)
Final Net < 50: $5,000
Final Net < 100: $2,500
Lewis' contract also comes with an allocation of "no less than $340,000 for a salary pool to hire and retain three assistant men's basketball coaches" and an annual assistant coach bonus pool, which can be split up at his discretion. Those assistant coach bonuses include: winning the MAC Tournament ($10,000), competing in the NCAA Tournament ($12,000), winning an NCAA Tournament game ($15,000 per win) and having a team GPA above 3.00 ($5,000).
Associate head coach Lou Gudino ($150,000) and Jamal Meeks ($110,000) are each set to make six figures in their first seasons in Muncie. Assistant Ben Botts's annual salary during the 2021-22 season, the most recent made available to The Star Press, was $86,153. Bill Comar, whose contract information also comes from the 2021-22 season, made $55,000 annually in his first season at Ball State.
How about football? Here's how much Ball State football coaches make
Ball State men's basketball coach salaries, 2022-23
Head coach Michael Lewis: $435,000
Associate head coach Lou Gudino: $150,000
Assistant coach Jamal Meeks: $110,000
Assistant coach Ben Botts: $86,153*
Special assistant to the head coach Bill Comar: $55,000*
*Salaries come from 2021-22 contracts.
Robby General covers Ball State and East Central Indiana high school athletics for The Star Press. Contact him via email at rgeneral@gannett.com, on Twitter @rgeneraljr or phone at 765-283-8864.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ball State men's basketball: How much does BSU pay Michael Lewis?
