Gregg Marshall’s official contract released

In late March, rumors were circulating that Wichita State head basketball coach Gregg Marshall was interested in replacing Rick Barnes at Texas.

He also reportedly had a meeting planned with the Alabama athletic director to discuss the vacancy of their head coach, according to Sports Illustrated.

Any hope other schools had of acquiring Marshall were dashed after WSU offered Marshall an average of $3.3 million per year until 2022. The contract was officially signed by Marshall Sept. 23 and released to the public soon after.

Marshall will receive $3 million a year until 2018, when his salary will rise to $3.5 million until 2022.

“All boosters and donors finance [the contract],” said Eric Sexton, executive director of Athletics. “It’s all fundraised or from the department, no student fees go into [it].”

According to USA Today’s 2015 list of NCAA men’s basketball coach salaries, Marshall’s new salary ranks him 10th among coaches who attended the 2015 NCAA tournament.

“Coach Marshall is a key cog in [WSU] staff,” Sexton said. “He’s had a great level of success, he graduates young men and he recruits for character and has great character kids.”

Marshall starts his ninth year with WSU this season. He brought the team to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, the most of any WSU coach. Marshall could become the winningest coach in WSU history this year if WSU wins 17 games, passing Ralph Miller’s 220 wins.

The new contract includes more than Marshal’s salary. It also stipulates that Marshall or an assistant coach designated by Marshall be given the usage of a private plane for a minimum of six recruiting trips each year.

“[The plane] allows him to be in places he needs to be at in a timely manner,” Sexton said. “It’s what other institutions that we’re competing against do.”

The contract also allows Marshall $623,000 to hire and retain three coaching assistants and a director of basketball operations, $10,000 each contract year for business-related entertainment and three personal flights with up to eight seats to anywhere in the continental United States on a private aircraft.

“We work to give each one of our coaches and support programs the tools to be successful,” Sexton said.

Senior Quentin Brown said he thinks recruiting and giving Marshall resources is important.

“We need guys because we’re not pulling in enough recruits like Kansas and all of them are,” Brown said. “If [Marshall’s] got the resources to hype up WSU we can start getting potential Big 12 players coming to WSU.”

The contract included multiple potential incentives for Marshall that involve making it far in the NCAA tournament, being selected as MVC Coach of the Year and making sure his players achieve high academic standards. Marshall could potentially receive hundreds of thousands in incentives each year.

Additional contract benefits for Marshall include two courtesy cars (or an equal allowance in lieu) to be used for both personal and business use and complimentary memberships to Flint Hills National Golf Club, the Crestview Country Club and Genesis Health Club.

“I think Marshall has the potential to be at a better school but he has chosen to stay here,” Brown said. “He’s been offered a lot more money and I think he likes the guys that have played for him so they’re kind of giving him the incentive to stay here.”