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Sports

UConn gives Ollie 5-year extension

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Storrs, CT – Connecticut men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie has received a new six-year contract, the university announced on Saturday.

Ollie had been working on a one-year deal after being named the successor for the retiring Jim Calhoun in September. Under the new agreement, the 40-year- old will now receive a total compensation package of $1.2 million for the 2012-13 season, with the deal running through the 2017-18 campaign.

"I am happy to be the head coach at Connecticut for an extended period of time," said Ollie. "As I said in my first press conference, I want to be here for a lifetime and this is a step, hopefully a great step, in the program moving forward. I am very excited and thankful for this opportunity."

Ollie, a former UConn point guard who played 13 seasons in the NBA prior to joining Calhoun's staff as an assistant coach in 2010, has guided the Huskies to a 9-2 record entering Saturday's game against Washington. In his head coaching debut, Connecticut produced a 66-62 upset of then-No. 14 Michigan State in Germany back on Nov. 9.

"Kevin moved gracefully and seamlessly into this position of immense responsibility over the course of the fall," said UConn president Susan Herbst. "He demonstrated to all of us that he is a genuine leader of extraordinary talents. The first time I met Kevin, I could tell that he was a special person, with proper perspective on life and on basketball. He will win and he will represent us well, everywhere he goes."

Calhoun, a three-time cancer survivor, stepped down on Sept. 13 after battling numerous health issues in recent years. The Hall of Fame coach directed the Huskies to a 625-243 record over 26 seasons and captured seven Big East Tournament titles as well as NCAA national championships in 1999, 2004 and 2011.

His final season was marred by poor academic performance, however, which resulted in the NCAA handing the program a one-year ban from postseason play for 2012-13 after failing to meet Academic Progress Rate (APR) standards.

Ollie was a four-year starter and two-time team captain for the Huskies from 1991-95, and also served as an assistant during Connecticut's most recent NCAA title run in 2010-11.