Woodson “immediately re-inserted our program into the national conversation,” Indiana athletic director says
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana coach Mike Woodson’s first two successful seasons made him another $1 million.
The school athletic department announced Friday that Woodson has been given a pay raise, giving him the Big Ten’s third-highest annual average salary at $4.2 million.
Woodson has four years remaining on his contract after leading his alma mater to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in a decade.
“Coach Woodson immediately re-inserted our program into the national conversation both in terms of an elevated level of success on the court and in recruiting,” athletic director Scott Dolson said in a statement.
“I knew that returning our program to the level that Hoosier fans rightfully expect would be a process that wouldn’t happen overnight. I have been extremely pleased with the steps we have taken during the last two years.”
Woodson is 44-26 with the Hoosiers and has one NCAA Tournament win after spending a quarter-century as an NBA coach.
The 65-year-old Woodson ranks sixth on the school’s career scoring list with 2,061 points and was the No. 12 overall draft pick in the 1980 NBA draft. He started coaching in 1996 after scoring nearly 11,000 points in the NBA with the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, Kansas City and Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Woodson also went 315-365 as a head coach with the Knicks and Atlanta Hawks.
“I believe under Coach Woodson’s leadership, we have positioned the program to compete at the highest levels in recruiting, which in turn will enable us to compete at the highest levels within the Big Ten and in the NCAA Tournament,” Dolson said.
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