BATON ROUGE – LSU athletic director Joe Dean will request a contract extension and salary increase for Tiger men’s basketball coach John Brady at the April meeting of the LSU Board of Supervisors.
Brady’s contract will be extended to five years and he will receive a substantial pay increase, Dean said Thursday.
“Stanley Jacobs, who chairs the athletic committee of the Board of Supervisors, has received numerous calls from board members who have been inquiring about John’s contract status,” Dean said. “John has done a remarkable job with this program, especially considering the scholarship restrictions under which he is working. We want to show John that this University is committed to what he is doing.”
Brady became the head coach of the LSU men’s basketball team on March 24, 1997, coming to LSU from Samford University. The basketball program has shown steady improvement each season, going 9-18 his first season and 12-15 a year ago before posting a current record of 18-4 this year.
The Tigers won two Southeastern Conference games in his first season, doubled that number last year and have already won five league games this season.
“The overall direction of this program has been outstanding under John Brady,” Dean said. “His commitment to academics is solid, his recruiting has been productive, the excitement is back with sellout crowds in the Assembly Center, and the performance on the court speaks for itself. He has done all of this under the shadow of NCAA restrictions.”
Brady originally signed a five-year contract, but was given an additional year after his first season. This extension will take his contract through the end of the 2005 basketball season.
“Joe Dean took a chance on me three years ago and I am appreciative of the commitment that LSU has made to our program,” Brady said. “Our players, our coaching staff and our fans all play a part in where we are trying to take this program. This is another important step in establishing the consistency and continuity that is critical for continued success.”