New UMass men’s basketball coach Matt McCall’s contract will pay him an average of $750,000 over the five-year term if he stays all five years. To help counteract Derek Kellogg’s $1.16 million buyout, the deal pays more per year as it goes. The average includes retention bonuses.
In a conference call following Kellogg’s dismissal, Bamford said he expected to pay the new coach between $800,000 and $900,000 (on average) per season.
McCall took less than that. According to Bamford, McCall instead wanted “a bigger salary pool for assistant coaches and staff and a few other upgrades to the men’s basketball budget.”
HORFORD WEIGHS IN — Prior to the game between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks in Boston Wednesday, Worcester Telegram & Gazette columnist Bill Doyle spoke to Al Horford, who played at Florida when McCall was the director of basketball operations there.
“Just very energetic,” Horford said of McCall. I feel like he’s going to be successful wherever he goes.”
A YEAR LATER & A WEEK LATER — McCall’s hiring came exactly one year after hockey coach Greg Carvel was officially hired.
McCall’s press conference will be a week after Pat Kelsey’s press conference that never happened. Bamford acknowledged it on Twitter:
“Last 7 days has been hard on our #UMassFamily but we are stronger & BETTER b/c of it. UMass is a special place & I’m a lucky AD. Thank you!”
BILLY D TREE — McCall is one of several head coaches throughout Division I who worked under current Oklahoma City Thunder coach Billy Donovan when he was at Florida.
McCall won two national championship rings with Donovan as the director of basketball operations in 2006 and 2007, before returning as an assistant coach from 2011-15.
McCall was hired in 2011 to take over for Richard Pitino, who left to be the associate head coach at Louisville before becoming a head coach at Minnesota a year later.
Texas coach Shaka Smart worked under Donovan in 2008-09. Another ex-VCU coach, Anthony Grant, is with Donovan in OKC. He’s rumored to be a candidate for Dayton’s open position.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage