The Arizona Wildcats hired new assistant coach Joe Pasternack for $190,000, and James Whitford was raised to $210,000 as associate head coach, according to school records.
The records, which also listed head coach Sean Miller's total bonus compensation at $280,000 for the fiscal year that ends this month, were released Friday to the Star under a public-records request.
Pasternack's salary actually represents a raise from the $156,000 he earned as head coach at New Orleans last season. He also faced a significant pay cut if he stayed with the Privateers, who are downgrading to Division II next season.
Pasternack was offered the same salary that Whitford and current UA assistant Emanuel "Book" Richardson were hired at in 2009. Richardson is also being paid $190,000 while Whitford was raised to $210,000 and named associate head coach on April 20, after former associate head coach Archie Miller left to become Dayton's head coach.
If the Wildcats had reached the 2011 Final Four, Richardson and Whitford were also eligible for salary bonuses of one-month's pay - $15,833 - but Arizona fell just short of that threshold by losing 65-63 to Connecticut in the Elite Eight.
Next season, all the UA assistants are expected to receive similar bonuses if the Wildcats reach the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament.
Bonuses for assistant coaches and charter-travel provisions were among the items Miller and UA athletic director Greg Byrne discussed earlier this spring, when North Carolina State and Maryland both tried to hire Miller.
Miller was promised a two-year extension this spring when he was hired in 2009 by then-AD Jim Livengood. The two had agreed on a seven-year deal, but it could be under formal contract for only five years, the maximum allowed by the Board of Regents.
Miller's current contract pays him $2 million a year plus various academic and performance bonuses, but any potential salary change remains unknown. Miller's updated contract will be presented to the regents for approval later this month, and UA said Friday it would not release the contract until it is approved by the regents.
Byrne declined to offer specifics of Miller's updated contract Friday but said "we feel good about our position going into the regents' meeting."
Through the fiscal year that ends June 30, Miller received performance bonuses totaling $255,000 plus a $25,000 bonus for having a team Academic Progress Rate of 948 or better. UA recorded a 950 mark, which measures academic eligibility and retention of players.
Sean Miller's 2010-11 compensation
Base salary $1,600,000
IMG/Nike supplement $400,000
Total salary $2,000,000
Bonuses
Academic Progress Rate 948 or more $25,000
Pac-10 regular-season championship $50,000
NCAA tournament Elite Eight $125,000
Final regular-season ranking in Top 15 $20,000
Regular-season 25 or more wins $40,000
Pac-10 Coach of the Year $20,000
Total bonuses $280,000
Total compensation $2,280,000
Note: Miller also earned $300,000 toward a $2.1 million retention bonus, for a 2010-11 total of $2,580,000, if he stays at UA until 2016.
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