Kevin Ollie is rejecting the NBA to stay in college. The coach who just led the UConn Huskies to the national championship in only his second season has agreed to a contract extension that will pay him $3 million annually to stay in Storrs, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Kevin Ollie reaches contract extension with UConn, per report
Kevin Ollie wasn’t ready to make the jump to the NBA just yet. UConn is bringing back its head coach after reaching an agreement on a significant contract extension, according to a report.
Jamie Squire
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Ollie had been mentioned as one of many candidates for the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching position, but he wasn’t moving to the NBA without a hefty raise. Ollie, who made about $1.4 million under his previous contract with UConn, reportedly wanted more money than what Steve Kerr recently received from the Golden State Warriors. Kerr agreed to a five-year, $25 million contract with the Warriors without any previous coaching experience last week. The Lakers never made a formal inquiry to interview Ollie, according to Wojnarowski.
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Ollie is losing his best player, guard Shabazz Napier, and forward DeAndre Daniels from last year’s national championship team, but UConn still brings back what should be a dynamic roster. Guard Ryan Boatright will be a senior after a breakout performance in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies are also adding guard Rodney Purvis, who sat out last season after transferring from N.C. State. Phillip Nolan, a 6’10 forward who will be a junior next season, and 7-foot center Amida Brimah are expected to lock down the frontcourt positions.
Update: The numbers are in. Ollie gets a five-year contract worth $2.8 million per year. Incentives kick it up to $3 million per year.
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