UWGB men’s basketball coach Sundance Wicks earns raise, extension
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GREEN BAY – University of Wisconsin-Green Bay athletic director Josh Moon wasn’t messing around when he said in January that he wanted to go on offense to retain men’s basketball coach Sundance Wicks and his staff.
Wicks helped engineer one of the best single-season turnarounds in NCAA Division I history in his first year with the Phoenix this season.
He completely reconstructed a team that went 3-29 in 2022-23 and led them to an 18-14 record, not to mention a huge improvement in the classroom.
The Horizon League’s coach of the year was rewarded Thursday when the school announced a one-year extension to his contract that now runs through the 2028-29 season.
But it’s far more significant than that.
UWGB’s early fundraising efforts appear to be paying dividends, at least based on Wicks’ raises each of the next five seasons.
The original five-year contract he signed when he arrived was set to pay him a base salary of $235,000 per season.
Wicks’ revised contract will pay him a gross base salary of $300,000 next season, $325,000 in 2025-26, $350,000 in 2026-27, $375,000 in 2027-28 and $400,000 in 2028-29.
Those figures easily make him the highest paid coach in program history.
“One, you are grateful,” Wicks said. “Any time these things go down, it’s an extension of belief. That’s probably the most important thing you can have as a coach. You have got to believe in what you are doing. Your players have to believe in what you are doing. The community.
“And then, obviously, the most important is those you work closely with in your administration. This is a new day and age in college basketball, and to have any sort of consistency or continuity is massively important.”
Wicks also appears to have gotten his wish that his assistants be rewarded along with him.
The school has not yet finalized raises for his staff, but it is believed it will happen soon.
Just as in his original contract, there are buyouts that must be paid should Wicks accept another coaching position at a DI school.
If notice is provided any time prior to April 1, 2025, the liquidated damages are $705,000. It goes down to $475,000 in 2026, $350,000 in 2027, $150,000 in 2028 and $50,000 in 2029.
Moon is well aware UWGB needs additional resources to compete, to continue to get more donors and businesses to step up and invest in the program with the hope of being able to achieve sustained success.
The fundraising is not complete. Not by a long shot. It would be difficult to find many who don’t think that, while it’s been a good start, more needs to be done.
Still, a raise for Wicks is a significant start.
“Sunny has done such an amazing job in year one, we are thrilled that he will continue to lead the Phoenix for the foreseeable future,” Moon said in a statement. “We are building something special in Green Bay, and his connectivity, juice, belief, character and passion for this program and university will continue to help us rise to new heights.
“What I…
Read More: UWGB men’s basketball coach Sundance Wicks earns raise, extension 2024-04-12 10:11:11