The administration hasn't been supporting the basketball program. They haven't upgraded the convo with practice courts (was in the 2016 master plan). Naming rights sponsor for the Convo never came to fruition. Revenue sharing has been super minimal. They've failed this program and Boals is nothing more than a symptom of their disinterest in basketball.
I beg to differ. The former AD who just left for Baton Rouge rewarded Boals well. He was the top paid coach in the league a year or so ago. His annual fifth seed performances do not warrant his top salary. The former AD had no problem paying Boals. The Convo is still one of the better conference facilities.
I thought you were a serious Ohio Basketball supporter. It was Schaus who elevated the salaries of incoming Ohio coaches with JC and Saul under the pretense the Ohio was the best job in the conference. The salary is set for that expectation and that expectation carried forward with Julie and Boals did get the program to the NCAAs. That said he isn't paid anything compared to a Big East coach and decent pay for an established mid major head coach doesn't say much of anything to the overall committment to the program by the administration from the president down. Julie said herself she was more bullish on football's ability to compete against the G5 than basketball which is the first I've heard an AD with a tilted opinion against basketball leading athletics.
At Ohio its just another Olympic sport by the way its treated at this moment. 5th in the MAC is probably good enough for the administration. They'd rather spend a million a new logo than 900k on buying out Boals contract to only find an even more expensive coach (which is what I'm sure they'll do).
If the former AD wasn’t serious about basketball, then why did she reward the mens head coach salary wise as one of the top head coaches in the conference? She rewarded him as the highest paid coach in the MAC a few years ago. As for being paid similar to a Big East coach, that will never happen.
Because its normal when you're historically one of the top programs in the MAC which don't forget is a G6 conference so the peers are SBC and MWC not the Ohio Valley and Summit League. Boals makes a decent (not exceptional salary) for a G6 coach. Historically Ohio has been that MAC program that wins non-conference games. All the great early season wins and then of course strong NCAA tournament performances.
Historically if you look at basketball compared to say Akron where its been more about regular season dominance. Thats my perception that it makes up for the 5th place conference finishes with overachievement in the non-con, NCAAs and even MAC tournament. In that context I think Boals pay is fair plus its going to an alum of the school. I don't agree wih trying to pay at the minimum of the MAC payscale like Miami is doing. That has resulted in only 3 winning seasons out of the last 17. As an overall strategy its a bad idea. Ohio should continue to pay as if its a Top 4 program in the MAC rather than allow the program to rot.
The Mountain West is superior to MAC and it isn’t even close. The MWC has had 7 straight seasons of multiple bids including 4 last season and 6 teams in 2024.
We are not peers with it. Just because we can pay Boals a premium amount, doesn’t mean should. Recent results don’t really warrant it and wouldn’t for anyone else.
I honestly think the job would be more appealing if you budgeted $500K for salary and the remaining $300K towards the roster.
I was talking about the new MWC with San Diego St and Utah St no longer in the conference. Its still better than the MAC though. I'm not sure what 300k is going to do for a 15 man roster, its only 20 grand per player. Money spent out the door on players never seen again.
Part of the problem I believe is all of the new rules around NIL and so far since its year 1 of the current rules we don't have a mid major yet we can point to that figured out the formula so Ohio can copy. Another reason not to toss Boals out if its not understood how to properly moneyball for players in the new environment. The tournament this year will show who the top mid majors are then it could be determined what they are doing. At the moment I feel like we are trying to fly blind trying to pay the players. I'd rather the administration annouce a strategy/partnership to kick in more money than pull it out of Boals salary.
Long term does paying the players change the coaching compensation structure for mid majors its hard to say.
The new MWC is still headlined by New Mexico, Nevada, and Grand Canyon. Each of these schools has had multiple tourney appearances the in the last 4 years. It's still a multi-bid conference.
$300K isn't for the full roster, but giving a new coach a leg up on the funding process upon hire. Mid-major reserves aren't making $20K. The average mid-major player is making $5k-$15k (quick research). Top players are making $75K-$150K at our level.
What you're suggesting sounds like you think Boals needs a coaching seminar on how to operate at the mid-major level in the NIL landscape that's now in year 5. The formula remains the same -- recruiting and player development. Two things Boals hasn't mastered because we aren't having this conversation otherwise.
If money was everything, Umass' $1.3 million roster this season wouldn't be worse than us.
Read the article below about Belmont's success under Casey Alexander. It's operating on a $291K budget this season while losing players like Malik Dia and Cade Tyson over the years. 25-4 this season. Why? recruiting, player development, and coaching (a la system). Our lack of success has nothing to do with anything other than being poor in those three categories.
You are correct, we are flying blind. Who does that fall on?
https://www.si.com/college-basketball/meet-the-mid-major-...
Last Edited: 3/2/2026 9:11:15 AM by FJC31