On the heels of a 25-win season and an appearance in the Postseason NIT semifinals, much is expected of Derek Kellogg’s UMass Minutemen in 2012-13.
Led by point guard Chaz Williams and forward Terrell Vinson, UMass is one of the teams expected to be a factor in the Atlantic 10 race this season.
And just a couple weeks before UMass plays its first game of the season, Kellogg and the school came to an agreement on a three-year contract extension according to Matt Vautour of the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
Kellogg’s base salary is now $250,000 per year while he received a raise of $105,000 in the “other compensation” category to $415,000. The buyout should Kellogg leave for another job before the contract expires in 2017 is now $500,000.
There are also incentive clauses for accomplishments such as reaching the NCAA tournament, strength of schedule ranking and the players’ performance in the classroom.
UMass was picked to finish fifth by the coaches at Atlantic 10 media day and our own Rob Dauster has them in the same slot.
Four starters from last season’s team are back with 6-9 forward/center Sean Carter being the lone departure.
Williams and forward Raphiael Putney are the two returnees who averaged double figures last season, with the point guard leading the Minutemen with an average of 16.1 points per game.
Vinson and Jesse Morgan both averaged 9.9 points per game, and the return of forwards Sampson Carter and Cady Lalanne will bolster UMass’ interior depth.
With a new contract and a talented team, Kellogg could begin to reach some of those incentives sooner rather than later.
Raphielle is also the assistant editor at CollegeHoops.net and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.