Former Colorado State coach Tim Miles, who was hired by Nebraska in March, now has a solid contract that locks him in through the 2018-19 season.
Miles and the school agreed to a seven-year contract, worth $1.14 million in his first season, and is scaled to be worth $2.15 million by the final year.
It is the longest contract in the history of the university. Previously, the longest contract had been awarded to Cornhusker football coach Bill Callahan in 2004.
“I had a great job where I was, and we were looking for something that shows commitment back and forth,” Miles told the Associated Press. “It was a good term for both parties and a term that showed me that Nebraska is serious about getting this going on the right track.”
Miles led Colorado State to the NCAA tournament last season with a record of 20-12, while Nebraska finished 12-18, including 4-14 in the Big 10.
The Cornhuskers have not won at least a share of a basketball conference title since 1950 and have not qualified for the NCAA tournament since 1998.
Nebraska is now making an investment, with a contract for Miles that reportedly ranks him as the eighth-highest paid coach in the conference.
“There was some perception that somehow we weren’t committed to basketball here, not so much on Tim’s part but among some of the people we interviewed,” athletic director Tom Osborne said. “We wanted to send a pretty strong message that we’re in this for the long haul. We thought Tim was a good fit.”
The Cornhuskers will be losing leading scorer Bo Spencer next season, who averaged 15.4 points per game this past season.
Nebraska has four recruits signed from the Class of 2012.
Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_