The NCAA proclaims that college sports or athletes are amateurs but the amount of money being generated within college sports is far from “amateur”. A powerhouse college basketball program such as the Kentucky Wildcats have a strong track thanks to the team’s on court success and a track record of sending players to the NBA. With success comes money and Kentucky has plenty of it.
It’s head coach, John Calipari has already earned $325,000 in performance bonuses from the Wildcats’ success this year with $100,000 of that incentive payout for making the Sweet Sixteen, and $175,000 is from qualifying for the Final Four, and more will follow depending on the team’s success in the coming days. The bonus compensation is in addition to Calipari’s $3.8 million base salary this year, which makes him the highest-paid coach in college basketball. Coaches currently in the Final Four are from Kentucky, Louisville, Kansas and Ohio State.
All four coaches have already collected a total $800,000 in performance bonuses, $630,000 of which is from tournament play. Louisville’s Rick Pitino and Kansas’ Bill Self have earned a combined $275,000 from tournament bonuses. Ohio State’s Thad Matta has taken home a mere $80,000 in bonuses from the Buckeyes’ tournament run. These bonuses do not end here because there is still plenty of money still waiting to be won. Each coach stands to earn a big bonus for a championship victory which ranges from Matta’s $100,000 to Caliparis’ $375,000.
Two of the coaches can also earn a small bonus from winning the Associated Press Coach of the Year award: Matta ($20,000) and Self ($50,000). With Championship title to be added to their resume’s along with a bigger bonus paycheck, we are bound to see some intense yelling and screaming along the sidelines for this upcoming championship games.
These coaches are fighting for their legendary status as long as a huge pay day; therefore we are bound to see a great game where dreams will either be made or crushed.
Here are the top 5 most paid coaches in college basketball
1. John Calipari, Kentucky ($4 million)
2t. Tom Izzo, Michigan State ($3.5 million)
2t. Billy Donovan, Florida ($3.5 million)
4. Bill Self, Kansas ($3 million)
5. Rick Pitino, Louisville ($2.5 million)
