Dambrot signed for next decade

[GeorgeThomasABJ]

http://www.ohio.com/blogs/ua-zips/universi...decade-1.321564

[Sergeant Zip]

Great news!

I thought you were on vacation George!

[GeorgeThomasABJ]

Great news!

I thought you were on vacation George!

Not until next week. I probably would have dealt with this one while ON vacation.

[K92]

Hmmmmm. I guess this development kinda exposes the piece written by that Pittsburgh writer for what it was...

Or some of the reactions to it...

[Sergeant Zip]

Not until next week. I probably would have dealt with this one while ON vacation.

Glad it happened today. That is the problem with technology, you never truely get away.

[akzipper]

$400,000? Is it just me or does that seem a bit low? I get that it's 80,000 more than before. But didn't the crap school in Pittsburgh say something like 700k? Guess in their case it's easier when basketball is the only sport they have.

[GeorgeThomasABJ]

$400,000? Is it just me or does that seem a bit low? I get that it's 80,000 more than before. But didn't the crap school in Pittsburgh say something like 700k? Guess in their case it's easier when basketball is the only sport they have.

It's a matter of conference. MAC is comprise of mid-majors.

[akzipper]

It's a matter of conference. MAC is comprise of mid-majors.

More reason for us to get out of the MAC...asap!

[Dr Z]

If I'm KD, I don't sign for ten years without a pretty good idea a new arena is in the near future. Get busy James!

[GP1]

$400,000? Is it just me or does that seem a bit low?

Depends on how you look at it. Per year, yes. Over 10 years, no.

Duquesne is a death trap. KD would have been swallowed up by it within 4 years at which point he would have made 2.8 million. Good luck finding another D1 coaching job with the stink of Duquesne all over you.

Stay at Akron 10 years, enjoy your life and make 4.0 million plus all the other income associated with being a college basketball coach.

Additional reason to stay. I think 10 years puts KD at the 20 year mark in the Ohio retirement system. Don't think that doesn't matter. KD is still a pretty young guy and he is in great shape for his age. I expect him to have a long life after basketball. He'll have a great income.

[GP1]

If I'm KD, I don't sign for ten years without a pretty good idea a new arena is in the near future.

I referred to KD a while back as a "survivor". This is exactly the type of move a survivor would make. The risk at another school is too great. Besides, he likes it at Akron. As a survivor, KD knows he can stay at Akron forever, so he makes the safe play. He wouldn't leave regardless.

[akzipper]

Depends on how you look at it. Per year, yes. Over 10 years, no.

Duquesne is a death trap. KD would have been swallowed up by it within 4 years at which point he would have made 2.8 million. Good luck finding another D1 coaching job with the stink of Duquesne all over you.

Stay at Akron 10 years, enjoy your life and make 4.0 million plus all the other income associated with being a college basketball coach.

Additional reason to stay. I think 10 years puts KD at the 20 year mark in the Ohio retirement system. Don't think that doesn't matter. KD is still a pretty young guy and he is in great shape for his age. I expect him to have a long life after basketball. He'll have a great income.

I think KD is a great coach, but I agree that he probably wouldn't have been at Duquesne very long. It's not his fault, just that I don't think the same factors would be around him to succeed. They are in a state of desperation, which is why they went after him so many times. They just recently had to shut down a few key sports, including baseball. The way I see it the only thing keeping their athletic department afloat is basketball, and after decades and decades of poor play it's bound to catch up with them. The desperation would cause them to make the KD-era end at the first sign of trouble. Not to mention they aren't going anywhere. A10 is their ceiling! They aren't getting a new arena, because they can't afford it. The school isn't get any bigger, because they don't have the room.

While a new conference, arena, facilities, etc may not happen at Akron, I'm sure he got assurance that we are at least trying. Duquesne could not offer anything more than a slightly better conference.

[bobbyake]

The 400k is base salary. I would think he gets an annual bonus from promoting the university as well. Caleb Porter for example, has a base salary of $270k and an annual bonus of $80k for promoting UA.

[ZachTheZip]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/men...ract/56371100/1

USA Today takes notice. Also mentions additional details. Base pay grows by $10k every year. There's a 300k buyout and some hefty retention bonuses. Assistant pay is also getting an increase, which I think is key.

[Dave in Green]

This ought to put an end to all the rumors about UA dumping KD to go after John Calipari, Mike Krzyzewski, Tom Izzo or Roy Williams.

[zippyman23]

I think KD is a great coach, but I agree that he probably wouldn't have been at Duquesne very long. It's not his fault, just that I don't think the same factors would be around him to succeed. They are in a state of desperation, which is why they went after him so many times. They just recently had to shut down a few key sports, including baseball. The way I see it the only thing keeping their athletic department afloat is basketball, and after decades and decades of poor play it's bound to catch up with them. The desperation would cause them to make the KD-era end at the first sign of trouble. Not to mention they aren't going anywhere. A10 is their ceiling! They aren't getting a new arena, because they can't afford it. The school isn't get any bigger, because they don't have the room.

While a new conference, arena, facilities, etc may not happen at Akron, I'm sure he got assurance that we are at least trying. Duquesne could not offer anything more than a slightly better conference.

Duquesne has their own locker room at the new Consol Energy Center and already plays multiple games a year there. No need for them to build a new arena, they already have one.

[akzipper]

Duquesne has their own locker room at the new Consol Energy Center and already plays multiple games a year there. No need for them to build a new arena, they already have one.

Well that's not their arena. It may be right across the street, but Pitt also has a designated locker room and the building belongs to the Penguins and to some extent the arena football team. It would be like the Zips using the Q.

[zippyman23]

Well that's not their arena. It may be right across the street, but Pitt also has a designated locker room and the building belongs to the Penguins and to some extent the arena football team. It would be like the Zips using the Q.

Doesn't really matter who owns it. Half the Big East schools use arenas they don't own. If the Q was in the Akron, then it might be similar.

[ZippyforPresident]

My guess is that Coach D signed on for the next ten years with an understanding that Akron Basketball will be getting a first class, state-of-the-art facility at some point within that time. It seems as though the ball has already started rolling toward that end so I would expect the announcement of a definite plan for a new facility within the next few years. I'm just glad we have Coach D here for the foreseeable future. Looking forward to the next ten years coach!! Go Zips!

[Districtballer]

This is great news for Akron! Glad to see KD is sticking around!

Good luck to the Zips this season!

[johnnyzip84]

ESPN's Andy Katz has a nice summary in the final bullet of today's 3-point blog.

I particularly like it that Andy refers to KD as a former high school coach and leaves it at that.

[ZippyRulz]

My guess is that Coach D signed on for the next ten years with an understanding that Akron Basketball will be getting a first class, state-of-the-art facility at some point within that time. It seems as though the ball has already started rolling toward that end so I would expect the announcement of a definite plan for a new facility within the next few years. I'm just glad we have Coach D here for the foreseeable future. Looking forward to the next ten years coach!! Go Zips!

I have a different take on it. A couple of first-round losses in the NCAA really doesn't warrant such a long term commitment considering where we want to be. It tells me the U is afraid of having to find and hire another high quality mens basketball coach while still in the JAR and with the recent memory of iCoach. With a new arena in the near future it wouldn't be such a problem but if the admin believes that we couldn't get anyone else as good as KD in the next 10 years, the arena must still be a long way off, unfortunately.

[Hilltopper]

I have a different take on it. A couple of first-round losses in the NCAA really doesn't warrant such a long term commitment considering where we want to be. It tells me the U is afraid of having to find and hire another high quality mens basketball coach while still in the JAR and with the recent memory of iCoach. With a new arena in the near future it wouldn't be such a problem but if the admin believes that we couldn't get anyone else as good as KD in the next 10 years, the arena must still be a long way off, unfortunately.

QTFR

[wadszip]

I have a different take on it. A couple of first-round losses in the NCAA really doesn't warrant such a long term commitment considering where we want to be. It tells me the U is afraid of having to find and hire another high quality mens basketball coach while still in the JAR and with the recent memory of iCoach. With a new arena in the near future it wouldn't be such a problem but if the admin believes that we couldn't get anyone else as good as KD in the next 10 years, the arena must still be a long way off, unfortunately.

I have no information to back this up, but I think you are reading way too much into this. In fact, I believe this deal was more about KD believing there will be a new arena than anything else. If not, he could've taken the Duquesne job and made a lot more short-term (and likely more long-term) money than what he will get at Akron. And even if he was fired or non-renewed at Duquesne (which some seem to think was likely), it's not like KD couldn't have found work for the next 6-7 years. He has been successful and has built up a list of contacts (including, though some may hate to hear it, the best basketball player in the world). He will find work. I imagine, if needed, even if he took the Duquesne job and was fired, KD could find work as an assistant at a major program and still make more money than what Akron will pay him over the life of this new deal.

Let's not automatically think the sky is falling because we've re-signed the greatest coach we've had in the MAC era to a long-term deal. Dambrot is not just a survivor, he's a winner (the fact that he has changed is entire philosophy due to those MAC title game and first-round NCAA losses proves that). He has taken this program further than just about anybody could've considering what he is working with. I don't think he would re-sign for that amount of time if he didn't think that bigger and better things for The University of Akron are coming. He would've had plenty of other options.

This deal has me all the more confident that a new arena is not just a pipedream, but something that will be built, and as soon as possible.

[GP1]

Dambrot is not just a survivor, he's a winner (the fact that he has changed is entire philosophy due to those MAC title game and first-round NCAA losses proves that).

I'd argue he is both a survivor and a winner as well. I would probably use wins to explain why he is a winner. I would look at who he has designed the program to win against a lot, (and who he hasn't beaten) to complete the survivor part.