Felisha Legette-Jack just got a little richer and a whole lot more job security. The Indiana women’s basketball coach got a two-year contract extension, which means she’s set to be around through the 2014-15 season.
According to an IU release, she’ll get an extra $5,000 a year in base salary and an extra $5,000 in marketing income each season. That means the deal will be worth an extra $20,000.
Okay, this is not in John Calipari’s mega-million-dollar category, but it’s significant as Legette-Jack continues her quest to turn the Hoosiers into a consistent Big Ten force.
You come off a 9-20 season, as Legette-Jack did, and any kind of extension has to help peace of mind as well as recruiting. In fact, IU is 23-36 in the last two years and has had a bit of a problem keeping assistant coaches.
No matter. Those struggles didn’t deter athletic director Fred Glass, who has always been a big-picture guy. Legette-Jack is 81-76 in five seasons with the Hoosiers. She’s an energetic force of nature focused on building up what has been a perennially struggling program.
“I have a high degree of confidence in her ability to succeed here,” Glass said in a university release, “and I believe that this will be the first of many (contract) extensions we sign together.”
Legette-Jack won 72 games in his first four seasons at IU, and won at least 18 games in each of her first three seasons. The Hoosiers tied a school record with 21 victories in 2009. Their 2010 upset of then-No. 4 Ohio State was their second-biggest in program history.
IU also ended No. 19 Nebraska’s 37-game regular season winning streak with an upset victory during the 2010 Big Ten/Big 12 Women’s Basketball Challenge.
That’s the good news and, for now, Glass’s focus is on that rather than recent glitches. Legette-Jack is determined to make that pay off.
“I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to be the head women’s basketball coach at Indiana University and I’m excited to be able to continue that journey,” Legette-Jack said in the release. “I can’t wait to keep building this program with student-athletes who represent Indiana with great character, we are excellent academically and bring excitement to the basketball court to create a winning tradition.”
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Ben Chappell is going to the Washington Redskins. You remember Chappell, the most accurate quarterback in IU history and the guy who led the Big Ten in passing last season. He’s been cooling his heals along with every other free agent waiting for NFL owners and players to agree and end the lockout that left everybody in limbo.
Well, limbo is over, the agreement is here and Chappell will get a training camp shot with the Washington Redskins. Washington still has Donovan McNabb, but nobody expects that matchup to last much longer. The Redskins also have Rex Grossman, the former Bloomington high school standout who thrived at Florida and then thrilled and chilled Chicago Bears fans, plus John Beck. Washington figures to dump McNabb (reports have the Minnesota Vikings interested in him) and pick up another quarterback, so Chappell has a tough challenge ahead of him.
Tough, but not mission impossible. It’s not like Grossman and Beck can be confused with Manning and Brady. Chappell is healthy, big, strong and smart. He’s also very accurate, which can’t be overstated. He has a chance. That’s all anyone can ask for.
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