Kevin Ollie signs five-year extension with UConn
By Hayden Kane
The University of Connecticut and its basketball players and fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief.
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Men’s head coach Kevin Ollie told Andy Katz of ESPN on Thursday that he has agreed to a five-year extension to stay at UConn:
“My heart is here at UConn,” Ollie said. “I want to stay invested in the student-athletes lives on and off the court. I want to be here.”
Ollie, coming off a season in which his Huskies went on a magical run and won the National Championship, was the subject of any number of rumors this off-season. If there was a high profile vacancy, especially in the NBA, then Ollie’s name was likely linked to it in one way or another.
According to Katz, the deal will pay Ollie $2.8 million per year; that number doubles his previous salary.
On March 8th, 2014, the Connecticut Huskies lost to Louisville by a score of 81-48. On that date it would have been hard to imagine that anybody saw Ollie’s squad winning a single game in the NCAA Tournament, let alone that they would go onto a National Championship and then see their coach flirted with for the head job with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Such is the amazing momentum a college basketball coach can create with a single great run in the tournament. For his run this year, Ollie has been rewarded with a nice contract to stay with UConn, a deal that surely pleases everybody involved.