Missouri’s willing to shell out big bucks to ensure Mike Anderson doesn’t get lured away by another school (Arkansas’ name keeps popping up).
Make that mega bucks.
The Kansas City Star reports that the school will likely add three year to his existing five-year contract and bring his total compensation to $2 million a season. This after several Missouri and Anderson boosters spent the weekend talking about how he would stay put.
There’s a good chance Arkansas or some other school offers more, but the contract extension and raise should be a reminder that other school’s coaching changes are often more beneficial to coaches who eventually stay put. Your name gets thrown out as a candidate somewhere else? See how much it’s worth to your current school to stay put. (It’s the third straight year Anderson’s been mentioned as a prime candidate elsewhere.)
But that cuts two ways.
As K.C. Star Missouri reporter Mike DeArmond writes, that kind of money is good for Anderson – but it also means he’ll have to start producing more NCAA tournament success. After an Elite Eight spot in ’09, the Tigers have one NCAA tournament win in the last two years. And they’ve been a double-digit seed both times.
There are 12 coaches who make at least $2 million a season. Only Arizona’s Sean Miller has never been to a Final Four. Anderson would join him.
But if he wants big money, he’ll need big wins, too.
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