UB’s newly-hired men’s basketball coach George Halcovage III signed a five-year contract worth an average of $445,000 per season.
Halcovage, a former Villanova men’s basketball assistant under Jay Wright, was hired for his first head coaching job in late March. He replaced Jim Whitesell as head coach after the former led UB to a 15-17 record and first-round exit in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Halcovage’s base salary of $325,000 is an 8.3% increase over the $300,000 annual base salary in Whitesell’s five-year contract. UB terminated Whitesell in March, resulting in a $500,000 buyout.
For comparison, football coach Maurice Linguist makes $675,000 annually, and women’s basketball head coach makes $250,000 total per season. The former was hired in 2021 and the latter in 2022.
Halcovage’s contract also includes $100,000 in annual supplemental compensation from March 30, 2023 to March 29, 2024. That number increases by $10,000 annually for each of the next four years.
Alongside that guaranteed money, Halcovage has the potential to earn over $400,000 in annual bonuses. The bonus incentives include:
- $10,000 for over 20 wins and $15,000 for 24 or more wins
- $15,000 for co-regular season MAC Championship and MAC No. 2 seed OR
- $30,000 for MAC regular season Championship
- $25,000 for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid
- $10,000 for a Round of 32 appearance
- $15,000 for a Sweet 16 appearance
- $20,000 for an Elite Eight appearance
- $35,000 for a Final Four appearance
- $50,000 for a National Championship appearance
- $75,000 for a National Championship
- $15,000 for MAC Coach of the Year
- $15,000 for Regional Coach of the Year
- $25,000 for MAC Coach of the year
- Various incentives for National Invitational Tournament (NIT) bids and wins
- Incentives for Academic Progress Reports
Halcovage is allotted $425,000 for support staff salaries, including three full-time assistant coaches, a director of basketball operations and a video coordinator. Each assistant coach will receive and annual car stipend of $4,800. The postseason bonuses in Halcovage’s contract also include increases in assistant and /staff salariesy.
Halcovage’s full contract can be seen here.
Ryan Tantalo is the senior sports editor and can be reached at ryan.tantalo@ubspectrum.com
Ryan Tantalo is the managing editor of The Spectrum. He previously served as senior sports editor. Outside of the newsroom, Ryan spends his time announcing college hockey games, golfing, skiing and reading.
