After nearly one week of discussion with Oregon athletic director Pat Kilkenny, men’s basketball coach Ernie Kent agreed in principle on a five-year contract that will extend his services through the 2011-12 season, the two announced Wednesday morning.
Kent will be guaranteed $1 million per year and could earn as much as $1.3 million annually with performance incentives, including postseason wins, added in. Kent earned an estimated $897,000 last season.
“I have a tremendous amount of passion for this school,” Kent said. “I’m elated with the contract that has been put in place because I think it gives us an opportunity to continue the work we have started to do in a very positive direction.”
Kent does not have a buyout clause should he choose to leave Oregon before the end of the 2011-12 season, but Kent will receive $1 million in compensation if the University chooses to terminate the contract before its expiration. Kent said he didn’t actively pursue other coaching vacancies following Oregon’s season.
“My agent is real upset at me right now for not venturing out,” Kent said. “I told him that’s not me. I’ve never been motivated by the almighty dollar.”
Kilkenny said he is pleased with the contract and is happy Kent could get back to attending other, more pressing matters.
“Coach Kent and I spent a fair amount of time talking about the future and I like to think that we’re quite aligned with where we think we need to go,” Kilkenny said. “I’m thrilled with the outcome.”
Kent said he looked forward to getting back to the tasks at hand, namely building on the success of the 2006-07 season.
“The fact that we’re one of 15 teams to in the last two decades to have been in the Elite Eight twice … it showed and proved to me, and hopefully to people that Oregon can be a Final Four or championship team. We’re close. We’re really close,” Kent said. “I think with the right help and support we can get there.”
In his 10 years of coaching at Oregon, Kent has a 193-120 record (.617) and ranks second in school history in wins.
Kent hasn’t yet officially signed the contract as of Wednesday afternoon because there are issues he and Kilkenny have to iron out regarding Kent’s compensation for ticket sales.
“They’ve got work to do to clean everything up and write some things and get it to me to sign,” Kent said.
Assistant coach leaves for UCLA
There are now two departures for Oregon this offseason. First, guard Chamberlain Oguchi decided to transfer. Now seven-year assistant coach Scott Duncan has decided to move. Duncan will take the same position at UCLA under coach Ben Howland after Howland’s former assistant, Kerry Keating, recently accepted the head coaching position at Santa Clara.
“I am very pleased that Scott Duncan has accepted the position of assistant coach,” Howland said in a press release. “He comes with a great background in coaching and is very well respected as an outstanding recruiter. He is a very experienced coach, an outstanding person and I feel very fortunate to have him join the Bruin family.”
Howland contacted Duncan last Thursday to gauge his interest in the job. Howland then contacted Kent and received permission to speak further with Duncan, who visited the UCLA campus on Sunday night and Monday before alerting Kent of decision.
Duncan said leaving the Ducks was a bittersweet feeling.
“It’s not easy to walk away from (Oregon),” Duncan said. “(But) when you think of college basketball, I think most kids … there’s one school that they think of and that’s UCLA.”
“It’s a job that if I walked away from I think I would always look back and say, ‘What if?’,” Duncan said.
Although Kent loses one of his three assistants, it’s not the first time an assistant coach has left his staff.
“I think it’s a great move for him because his next move should be into a head coaching spot,” Kent said. “They have some things we don’t have. Hopefully we’ll get there one day in the areas of facilities.”
Other assistant coaches that have left the Oregon program in recent years are San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Don Newman, Auburn associate head coach Don Newman, Boise State coach Greg Graham and Oregon State coach Jay John.
Kent said he and Kilkenny will likely discuss a more competitive salary for his assistants in the near future, not only to keep them competitive with the rest of the conference, but to reward them for their success this season.
“We’re going to do everything we can do to support them,” Kilkenny said. “We’ll give them the resources they need in order to be successful.”
Duncan earned $120,000 this season, but deflected any notion that he left Oregon for monetary reasons.
“It’s not about how much money you make,” Duncan said. “It’s more money than any of us, that got started in coaching long ago, ever dreamed of making. I think Oregon has been very, very good in those terms.”
Duncan hopes this will be his final assistant coaching job before becoming a head coach.
“This would give me an opportunity in the next couple years to have my own program,” Duncan said.
As for replacing Oguchi, Kent said he could go with either a junior college transfer or a high school recruit depending on who he feels is the right player for the team.
“If you could get the right high school player that would probably be better,” Kent said. “If it’s somebody that can help us, we’ll go get him.”
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