VCU, not new to this thing of hiring a new basketball coach who then does well enough to get attention from the big boys, announced on Monday that it has extended the contract of Phil Martelli Jr., who just wrapped a 28-win season in his Year 1 with an upset of UNC in the NCAA Tournament.
Money terms were not disclosed, but we know that two years were added to the deal, extending it through the 2031-2032 season.
The original five-year deal that Martelli signed last March called for him to be paid $1.455 million in Year 1, for the 2025-2026 season, with $100,000 annual raises in Years 2-5 of the deal.
I’ve got a query in to try to pin down the numbers on the new back end of the deal.
“Coach Martelli showed all season that he embodies the leadership qualities we want in our head men’s basketball coach,” the athletics director at VCU, Ed McLaughlin, said in a statement. “He made history in his first season by winning the Atlantic 10 Championship and an NCAA Tournament game and continued the standard of excellence that we have created and come to expect. I want to ensure we keep Coach Martelli and give him the opportunity to build on the amazing foundation we have solidified at VCU with three A-10 championships in the last four years and appearances in 12 of the past 15 NCAA Tournaments.”
I mean, good luck keeping him, particularly if the buyout language in the original deal isn’t updated.
The buyout for Martelli if he were to leave early, which happens a lot to the folks in VCU Athletics, that they hire a really good coach who does a really good job and then is snatched up by a big boy, is noticeably low, at just $1 million in Years 1 and 2, and dropping thereafter.
“Thank you to Dr. Rao and Ed McLaughlin for their continued support and vision for VCU Men’s Basketball,” Martelli said in a statement. “I am grateful to the players and the staff who believed in the vision and worked tirelessly to ensure its continued success. We are very fortunate to be at such a storied program and look forward to continuing our short- and long-term pursuit of adding to its rich legacy. Go Rams!”
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Chris Graham
