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Final Four Coaches: Who Gains the Most?

By Mark

For Bill Self of Kansas, not only does he shake the extremely large shadow of Roy Williams but he collects a bonus of $200,000. Interestingly, Roy will not collect a bonus for winning his second national title. Of course, since he is already making a base salary of $1.7 million and unusually in this day and age gets to negotiate his own television and radio deals, product endorsements and public appearances, we shouldn't feel too sorry for him. The other two coaches, John Calipari of Memphis and Ben Howland of UCLA would each get $100,000 for winning a title, not to mention an end to frustration. For Howland, it would end the frustration of three straight Final Fours without a title and for Cal, well, it would end all those years of coaching at schools in mid-major conferences, of claiming to never getting the respect he felt he and his teams deserved and finally erasing the stigma of his days with his Nets. Of course, the $400,000 in total bonuses he would have collected throughout the tournament would help ease the sting of being disrespected.

The one who stands to gain the most on the endorsement front is likely Calipari. He is already somewhat known from his stint with the Nets, yet he is just below the radar at Memphis. The school is not in a power conference so he has to work harder at image both for himself and the school. A championship validates everything he is doing there in a way it does not for anyone else. Oh sure, if helps Self enormously in stepping out from under Roy Williams' shadow at Kansas, but that is more with the KU fan base and is a local thing. A win helps Howland get over the hump, but he doesn't really need it in terms of what he is accomplishing at UCLA. For endorsement purposes, it would help him on a national basis, but being coach at UCLA carries with it the opportunity for endorsements in the second largest media market in the country with obvious national breakout opportunity. As to Roy Williams, a second win I don't think adds much more so he probably gains the least here but that is what happens when you're already at the top of your game.

Full post as published by Sports Biz on April 04, 2008 (boomark / email).