It was a relief for the Minnesota Golden Gophers to finally finish up coach Tubby Smith's new contract, which he signed back in July. Tubby had a few more years left to play on his then-current contract, but they had been spending the entire off season working to get the new one in place.
Looking at the new contract, there are two performance incentives that Smith looks like he will be able to attain as long as his Gophers can avoid the season collapse that they suffered last season without Trevor Mbakwe -- a $50K bonus for finishing fourth in the Big Ten conference, and a $100K bonus if they can get into the NCAA tournament. TwinCities.com has more info on the contract:
The total value of Smith's remaining contract, which runs through the 2016-17 season, is about $11.5 million. His incentives are generous compared to those of other Big Ten men's basketball coaches.
Those incentives are likely in part to keep Smith hungry for the post-season after the disappointments that marred the 2011/2012 campaign for Minnesota. It certainly wouldn't hurt his odds if their star player Mbakwe was back at full tilt by the time the season began.
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