A lot of work to Gonzaga's stature... Absolutely. A lot of work to $1 million coach earnings? Yes. Lots of work. But maybe not so much time.


This is a interesting point. If you read articles from when we hired Saul, it was stated there was a SIZABLE buyout.

Saul never commented on it, and usually when the buyout was mentioned he started talking about how he has every intention on staying...

I cannot even began to imagine what the buyout might be, but I believe it is big. Very big.

Many schools in the P5 conferences are just going to pay that buyout to get the guy they want. Schools below that stature may not. It's smart business for Ohio, and obviously Schaus is trying to make the buyout a big deterrent after the departure of two coaches in 3 seasons. Because of the recent past, I can see why we're worrying about Saul maybe leaving for a bigger paying gig, but I don't see it happening too quickly. My only real concern was the when/if related to Bo Ryan and Wisconsin. With that job settled again, I have less concern.

Most smart coaches aren't leaving a $550k+ year job that they're solid in for an $800-$900k job. They're waiting on the big jump to $1.5mil or more, like Groce did. Take Archie Miller and Chris Mack for example. They're clearly desirable coaches for big jobs, but they're not going to leave UD or X for someplace like Minnesota or Northwestern. They want to go to a top 20-30 school in terms of resources, ability to recruit, and fan support. Look at how long Shaka stayed at VCU before going to Texas. I put Saul in the same category as all of those guys. He wouldn't leave Athens, for say, Wichita State. He would maybe leave for Wisconsin, or Virginia, or someplace like that. Plus, I really believe he wants stability for his kids. Would he walk away from Wisconsin and 1.5 to 2mil a year? Probably not, but would anyone blame him?

"pretty hefty" - http://www.athensmessenger.com/sports/ohiouniversity/phil...

I saw mention of nearly 1 million, but I can't find anything to substantiate that.

Call me naive, but I believed him and still believe him. Not that he will stay here forever, but that he will be here until his daughter graduates high school, which I believe is 6 years from now. That doesn't mean he will never leave, but he feels young enough to be able to make that statement and make an 8+ year commitment to this program now, and if that turns into a P5 opportunity after that, he would still be fairly young by coaching standards to make another 10 year commitment. I'll be surprised if he leaves on his own accord in the next 6 years.

Actually, 10 years at a low major as you start your family, 10 at a mid as your family grows into adulthood, and 10 at a power after the kids are out of the house sounds like a perfect coaching career in my book. No, I am not saying that is exactly how it will definitely work out for him, but I do think he is comfortable with staying committed to this program at this stage in his life while still holding on to the big stage dream.