Below is the most recent pay for the Mountain West coaches. It's not clear if they are base salaries or total packages, but whatever they are, it allows for comparison.

1. T.J. Otzelberger, UNLV, $1.1 Million

2. Eric Mussleman, Nevada, $1 million*

3. Brian Dutcher, San Diego State, $805,000

4. Niko Medved, CSU, $700,000

5. Leon Rice, Boise State, $675,000

6. Craig Smith, Utah State, $650,000

7. Paul Weir, New Mexico, $625,000

8. Justin Hutson, Fresno State, $500,000

9. Allen Edwards, Wyoming, $490,000

10. Dave Pilopovich, Air Force, $425,000

11. Jean Prioleau, San Jose State, NA

I'm a bit surprised about UNLV. Their coach cam over from the Dakotas, as well. Quite a sum.
https://mwwire.com/2019/04/01/unlv-make ... all-coach/

*Alford was hired after these figures were released. It's reported that Alford's base is $300,000 per year for 10 years.https://www.kolotv.com/content/news/Ste ... 00791.html

So Alford's contract is misleading. He is really making $500K on years 1 and 2. On years 3 and beyond he is over $1.1 million

So the coach that won coach of the year won the conference tournament went to the dance is in 6th place in the 11 team league, ok.

oleblu111 wrote:So the coach that won coach of the year won the conference tournament went to the dance is in 6th place in the 11 team league, ok.

Right on cue.

In fairness, that contract was signed and negotiated before he won coach of the year,won conference tournament and went to the dance.

But yes, we are all well aware of your feelings on Aggie fans and the funding of Aggie athletics.


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It’s hard to know what value lists like these have without knowing what performance bonuses and other compensation is available.

I’d also venture to guess that Logan is one of the cheaper MW cities cost of living-wise.

2004AG wrote: ↑

May 8th, 2019, 6:40 pm

oleblu111 wrote:So the coach that won coach of the year won the conference tournament went to the dance is in 6th place in the 11 team league, ok.

Right on cue.

In fairness, that contract was signed and negotiated before he won coach of the year,won conference tournament and went to the dance.

But yes, we are all well aware of your feelings on Aggie fans and the funding of Aggie athletics.

Amen.

2004AG wrote: ↑

May 8th, 2019, 6:40 pm

oleblu111 wrote:So the coach that won coach of the year won the conference tournament went to the dance is in 6th place in the 11 team league, ok.

Right on cue.

In fairness, that contract was signed and negotiated before he won coach of the year,won conference tournament and went to the dance.

But yes, we are all well aware of your feelings on Aggie fans and the funding of Aggie athletics.


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And your post does not find me surprised as to it's content. I have found that many can criticize many things, but get defensive when a group they are part of comes under attack.

I thought that Coach Smith deserved a extension and raise after last season.

Not all aggies are cheap some step up big time, also keep in mind that when I criticize fans I looking at myself as well as others. I would like this success to continue, but in order to do that we need fans like myself to step up, and pay for what we are getting.

oleblu111 wrote: ↑

May 8th, 2019, 5:29 pm

So the coach that won coach of the year won the conference tournament went to the dance is in 6th place in the 11 team league, ok.

Dude Chill! That's why they have bonuses in the contract.

Team wins the Conference Tournament Championship = $25,000
Team wins the regular season Conference Championship (either outright
Champion or Co-Champion) = $25,000
Team maintains a multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 952 = $10,000(*I hope)
Team is ranked (Associated Press Poll) at the end of a season in the:
Top 25 = $10,000
Coach is selected as the “Conference Coach of the Year” by the Conference as voted by the Conference coaches = $10,000


That's $730K, good for 4th and pretty good when you compare cost of leaving to San Diego, Vegas and maybe Reno.
Coach Smith will get his, just not after only one year.

Not to pick a fight here, but oleblu has more than feelings in his comments about coach Smith and his extant compensation package. We should expect that an internal conversation involving a very major increase next season based on more success like we saw this last year would strongly be in play and very expected.

Coach Smith and staff are now in the "Profile" portion of college basketball conversations. It would be a mistake to expect other schools to abstain from looking hard and bringing major money to draw this coach and staff away from Utah State without some significant financial incentives to keep this staff in Logan and intact.

oleblu111 wrote:

2004AG wrote: ↑

May 8th, 2019, 6:40 pm

oleblu111 wrote:So the coach that won coach of the year won the conference tournament went to the dance is in 6th place in the 11 team league, ok.

Right on cue.

In fairness, that contract was signed and negotiated before he won coach of the year,won conference tournament and went to the dance.

But yes, we are all well aware of your feelings on Aggie fans and the funding of Aggie athletics.


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And your post does not find me surprised as to it's content. I have found that many can criticize many things, but get defensive when a group they are part of comes under attack.

I thought that Coach Smith deserved a extension and raise after last season.

Not all aggies are cheap some step up big time, also keep in mind that when I criticize fans I looking at myself as well as others. I would like this success to continue, but in order to do that we need fans like myself to step up, and pay for what we are getting.

Thing is, nobody disagrees with you. Of course we need more money and more support for athletics. It’s just that every single one of your posts says essentially the same thing.

Smith deserves a raise. Do we know for sure he didn’t get one ?


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Let me be perfectly clear. I think USU should do whatever it can to keep Coach Smith long term. But let me play devil's advocate for a minute. He has coached one season, mostly with his predecessor's recruits. Granted, it was a great season, and he very clearly exceeded expectations. But perhaps we should tap the brakes just a touch and see what happens this year. It isn't like he is the lowest paid coach in the league. His salary is right in line with most of our peers. We might not need to be like the dude who proposes on the first date. He isn't going anywhere this year.

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oleblu111 wrote: ↑

May 8th, 2019, 8:44 pm

I thought that Coach Smith deserved a extension and raise after last season.

Based on the thread on this very topic from a month ago, I believe that is a sentiment with which most on this board agree.

Mr. Sneelock wrote: ↑

May 8th, 2019, 10:17 pm

Let me be perfectly clear. I think USU should do whatever it can to keep Coach Smith long term. But let me play devil's advocate for a minute. He has coached one season, mostly with his predecessor's recruits. Granted, it was a great season, and he very clearly exceeded expectations. But perhaps we should tap the brakes just a touch and see what happens this year. It isn't like he is the lowest paid coach in the league. His salary is right in line with most of our peers. We might not need to be like the dude who proposes on the first date. He isn't going anywhere this year.

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Thank you, this is the boat I am in as well. I completely understand Aggie fans being pumped up about coach Smith and what he was able to accomplish this past season BUT I do think we need to be careful to not get carried away when looking at the long term. I'm not going to say "I am not sold" when it comes to Smith but I would say "I need to see more". There is no denying that Smith has a unique energy about him and an incredible ability to get those around him pumped up and passionate about the things he believes in. Anyone that has talked to him can tell he is very genuine in his enthusiasm, it is not a shtick, and that goes a long way with people.

So why am I not completely convinced yet? I remember listening to a radio interview here in Vegas with Dave Rice prior to our NCAA Tourney game versus Washington. He was asked about his various ties and familiarity with USU over the past several years going back to when he was an assistant in Logan. Rice gave a pretty thorough breakdown of each head coach and their staff, beginning with Eustachy, then Stew, Duryea, and lastly Smith. He talked about how things in the program had morphed and changed over the years, how different Aggie teams had taken on the personality of their HC and such. When pressed about whether or not he was surprised by what Smith had done in year 1 he said "not really". He went on to say how Smith had done a great job with Duryea's recruits, how he had come into a great situation with a good mix of players that included experienced leaders and good young talent. He must have mentioned Duryea and his staff by name 3 times during his explanation and also mentioned something about imagining this team if McEwen had chosen to stay. He said he always felt like Duryea's teams were one key player away from being really good and that key player was a good big man.

While I do believe we were short a good big man in the previous 3-4 years, I am not buying that Duryea had what it took to get the team to play to their potential. Of course Rice has a relationship with Duryea so I expected him to give him praise but it got me thinking about what Smith and Co. actually came into and I think Rice is partially right or at least has a point. I strongly believe that Queta was the key to everything and the biggest game changer we have seen on the court in many years. Smith and his staff get credit for getting Queta to come to USU but you can't deny they sort of fell into the perfect situation with that too. It's known that other schools were after Queta, including other MWC schools, but how many of them had a Portuguese player already on the roster? one that had also played on the U18 national team? one that had already gone through the paperwork and process with the NCAA? one that could then in turn help expedite and simplify things that may hold other schools up or give them reason to think twice about whether or not they wanted to go to the trouble of jumping through all the hoops? Having Brito was key to getting Queta. It's the same way St. Mary's and Gonzaga, among others, have international ties that continue to pay off year after year.

While Smith certainly brought the energy and excitement, the rest was sort of already here for him. His own recruits that he brought along did not or have not paid off. I have full confidence that the energy and coaching style will not go away so long as Smith is here. What I need to see more of is his ability to bring in MWC level talent on a consistent basis before we talk extensions and raises. Obviously not every recruit is going to pan out or make it at this level and Smith was put in a difficult position with a short amount of time in his first year but we should know more about his ability to find talent with this next class or two of recruits.

I'm also of the thought that the reason bonuses are in place are for the special years, for the milestones and record seasons that may come along. If that happens in year one so be it, if it happens in year 5 so be it. A raise or extension need to be based on something more sustained though in my opinion.

Aglicious wrote:

Mr. Sneelock wrote: ↑

May 8th, 2019, 10:17 pm

Let me be perfectly clear. I think USU should do whatever it can to keep Coach Smith long term. But let me play devil's advocate for a minute. He has coached one season, mostly with his predecessor's recruits. Granted, it was a great season, and he very clearly exceeded expectations. But perhaps we should tap the brakes just a touch and see what happens this year. It isn't like he is the lowest paid coach in the league. His salary is right in line with most of our peers. We might not need to be like the dude who proposes on the first date. He isn't going anywhere this year.

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Thank you, this is the boat I am in as well. I completely understand Aggie fans being pumped up about coach Smith and what he was able to accomplish this past season BUT I do think we need to be careful to not get carried away when looking at the long term. I'm not going to say "I am not sold" when it comes to Smith but I would say "I need to see more". There is no denying that Smith has a unique energy about him and an incredible ability to get those around him pumped up and passionate about the things he believes in. Anyone that has talked to him can tell he is very genuine in his enthusiasm, it is not a shtick, and that goes a long way with people.

So why am I not completely convinced yet? I remember listening to a radio interview here in Vegas with Dave Rice prior to our NCAA Tourney game versus Washington. He was asked about his various ties and familiarity with USU over the past several years going back to when he was an assistant in Logan. Rice gave a pretty thorough breakdown of each head coach and their staff, beginning with Eustachy, then Stew, Duryea, and lastly Smith. He talked about how things in the program had morphed and changed over the years, how different Aggie teams had taken on the personality of their HC and such. When pressed about whether or not he was surprised by what Smith had done in year 1 he said "not really". He went on to say how Smith had done a great job with Duryea's recruits, how he had come into a great situation with a good mix of players that included experienced leaders and good young talent. He must have mentioned Duryea and his staff by name 3 times during his explanation and also mentioned something about imagining this team if McEwen had chosen to stay. He said he always felt like Duryea's teams were one key player away from being really good and that key player was a good big man.

While I do believe we were short a good big man in the previous 3-4 years, I am not buying that Duryea had what it took to get the team to play to their potential. Of course Rice has a relationship with Duryea so I expected him to give him praise but it got me thinking about what Smith and Co. actually came into and I think Rice is partially right or at least has a point. I strongly believe that Queta was the key to everything and the biggest game changer we have seen on the court in many years. Smith and his staff get credit for getting Queta to come to USU but you can't deny they sort of fell into the perfect situation with that too. It's known that other schools were after Queta, including other MWC schools, but how many of them had a Portuguese player already on the roster? one that had also played on the U18 national team? one that had already gone through the paperwork and process with the NCAA? one that could then in turn help expedite and simplify things that may hold other schools up or give them reason to think twice about whether or not they wanted to go to the trouble of jumping through all the hoops? Having Brito was key to getting Queta. It's the same way St. Mary's and Gonzaga, among others, have international ties that continue to pay off year after year.

While Smith certainly brought the energy and excitement, the rest was sort of already here for him. His own recruits that he brought along did not or have not paid off. I have full confidence that the energy and coaching style will not go away so long as Smith is here. What I need to see more of is his ability to bring in MWC level talent on a consistent basis before we talk extensions and raises. Obviously not every recruit is going to pan out or make it at this level and Smith was put in a difficult position with a short amount of time in his first year but we should know more about his ability to find talent with this next class or two of recruits.

I'm also of the thought that the reason bonuses are in place are for the special years, for the milestones and record seasons that may come along. If that happens in year one so be it, if it happens in year 5 so be it. A raise or extension need to be based on something more sustained though in my opinion.

You left off perhaps the biggest lucky draw smith had and that’s inheriting the best player in the conference.


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I would have been fine with an extension and raise, but it cuts both ways. Say this season was a fluke — an extended contract at a higher salary would be a major headache for us long-term. I don’t think it was a fluke and am totally drinking the Smith kool-aid right now, but the University would be totally justified in wanting a bigger sample size before a raise and extension is granted.

Last year was the best coaching job I’ve ever witnessed at Utah State hands down. Not even close. We all saw how the previous coach’s recruits played under the previous coach. Smith had about a 30-second recruiting window and somehow managed to get our first real NBA prospect in my 50-year lifetime which turned out to be the missing piece. Duryea didn’t do that and Brito didn’t do that (they didn’t even know each other). Smith and his staff did. Sam became the best player in the conference because of the way he was coached and utilized THIS YEAR. He wasn’t the best player in the conference the previous year and some might argue he wasn’t even the best player on our own team. He was developed into the best player in the conference. It’s fine if you think the university should wait for another year to reward Smith (I don’t) but to now try to somehow downplay what he did this year is to me ridiculous. It was the most shocking, amazing turnaround in every aspect of the job (recruiting, development, performance, determination, excitement and energy) I’ve ever seen. Period.

A few weeks ago, I had heard, on pretty good authority, that a new contract was being worked on for CS. But, now I am beginning to doubt that we will see anything. Should be a good question for a road show attendee.

Hartwell said it publically after the MW tournament, that he was working on something. Now there is nothing. How has this not been asked on the road?

Would seem kind of odd to ask about that with them sitting next to each other.


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Maybe i am in the minority, but I think his contract is right about where it should be. He doubled his salary from his South Dakota job. He had a great year which is what he was paid to do. I think a modest salary increase and maybe 1 year extension in contract length would be in order. Now if he continues to have success than for sure he should get more. Even if we get him in the 1MM or 1.1MM range that will still not keep him here if a high profile job comes open. When someone comes and offers 2MM - 2.5MM we can never compete with that and he could be gone. Looking at peer schools in the conference his contract seems about right to me.

Every person that holds a job is paid to be great. For a variety of reasons, the vast majority are not. That’s why you reward the best and most talented people who are great as best you can as soon as you can in order to try to keep them or at the very least make sure they know they are appreciated. If you’re hiring the best and brightest you want to make sure your compensation is somewhat competitive with those that are playing at your level. I think we’re getting close to where we need to be.

Just a thought, what if he was offered an extension and didn’t take it.

bpd wrote: ↑

May 9th, 2019, 10:21 pm

Just a thought, what if he was offered an extension and didn’t take it.

I would say that that would be alarming...

Aggie84025 wrote: ↑

May 9th, 2019, 9:43 pm

I think a modest salary increase and maybe 1 year extension in contract length would be in order.

I agree, and I assume that's what was or is being worked on. I think I've said this a few times already, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if a contract modification has already been done and not released through an official press release. Remember, we didn't even have a basketball media guide until mid way through conference play this past year.

bluegrouse wrote: ↑

May 9th, 2019, 2:09 pm

Last year was the best coaching job I’ve ever witnessed at Utah State hands down. Not even close. We all saw how the previous coach’s recruits played under the previous coach. Smith had about a 30-second recruiting window and somehow managed to get our first real NBA prospect in my 50-year lifetime which turned out to be the missing piece. Duryea didn’t do that and Brito didn’t do that (they didn’t even know each other). Smith and his staff did. Sam became the best player in the conference because of the way he was coached and utilized THIS YEAR. He wasn’t the best player in the conference the previous year and some might argue he wasn’t even the best player on our own team. He was developed into the best player in the conference. It’s fine if you think the university should wait for another year to reward Smith (I don’t) but to now try to somehow downplay what he did this year is to me ridiculous. It was the most shocking, amazing turnaround in every aspect of the job (recruiting, development, performance, determination, excitement and energy) I’ve ever seen. Period.

^^^^^^
This. The fact that Smith was able to take Duryea's players without the player who *most* people thought was the best player on the team, and lead them to MWC co-champions. Did anyone see anything remotely close to this success? Duryea never even sniffed the middle of the conference, and let the Spectrum magic crumble and die. What makes special coaches? The ability to take "good* players and make them believe they are *champions*. Smith has this ability, Duryea never did. I've heard a quote before that states: "Stroke your Thoroubreds" and "Whip your Asses".