Foley stays, pay to hit $250,000

3/9/13
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/STEPHEN B. THORNTON
UALR's coach Joe Foley talks with his team during their Sunbelt Tournament game Saturday afternoon in Hot Springs.
3/9/13 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/STEPHEN B. THORNTON UALR's coach Joe Foley talks with his team during their Sunbelt Tournament game Saturday afternoon in Hot Springs.

UALR women's basketball coach Joe Foley isn't going anywhere after all, except possibly into a higher tax bracket.

Foley told Athletic Director Chasse Conque on Monday morning that he wasn't going to wait on word from the University of Kansas, where he interviewed for its women's basketball coaching position last Wednesday.

Instead, Foley decided Sunday night to remain at a program he's practically built from scratch.

UALR followed with the announcement of a reworked agreement with Foley, one that runs through 2024 and includes salary increases for Foley, his assistants and UALR's commitment to paying athletes above the cost of a scholarship.

Foley will receive incremental increases that will bring his base salary to $250,000 by July 1, 2018, according to a memo outlining the agreement. Foley's previous contract was set to expire in 2023 and paid him $161,241 per year.

Foley, 59, will be paid $215,000 starting July 1; $230,000 starting July 1, 2016; $240,000 starting July 1, 2017 and $250,000 starting July 1, 2018. In addition to his salary, Foley will receive $15,000 for his radio show, raising his total compensation to $265,000 starting in 2018 through the end of the contract.

Foley said he was "going with his gut" by deciding to stay with UALR, a school he's led to 244 victories and four NCAA Tournament appearances since 2003.

"I think we're going in the right direction," Foley said by phone Monday while playing in a golf tournament in Hot Springs. "There's a lot of people here I know now, there's a lot of friendships and this is not about money. It's all about enjoying life and being with people who want you. So everything worked out great."

Kansas announced Monday that it will introduce Stephen F. Austin Coach Brandon Schneider as its next coach today. Foley, who interviewed at Kansas last Wednesday, said he didn't know that he had been eliminated from consideration until he called a school official Monday with intentions of telling them he was deciding to stay at UALR regardless of their decision.

"They told me they had a particular guy," Foley said. "So I said 'It's good for both of us. You're going to get him and I'm going to stay and we'll both be happy. I really enjoyed the visit, but my heart is here."

Conque said he is glad that it is.

Talks between Foley and Conque began not long after UALR lost to Arizona State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 23. Conque said a raise was likely even without Kansas' interest.

One area of discussion focused on better pay for assistant coaches. Foley got that and then some. The salary pool for UALR's three assistants -- Robert Dallimore, Bobby Brasel and Alicia Cash -- will increase by $28,000 on July 1; $18,000 more on July 1, 2016 and $7,500 more on July 1, 2017 when the pool will be $225,000.

UALR will also begin paying full-cost of attendance for women's and men's basketball scholarships, a move that was approved by the NCAA in January and will require an extra $125,000 commitment, Conque said.

It's all in an effort to make sure that Foley, a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame who has taken UALR to the NCAA Tournament four times in the last six years, never coaches at another school.

"When someone like Kansas comes calling and your coach is in the top three, those are some realities that you have to think about," Conque said. "I can't speak for Joe, but yes, I would love for Joe Foley to finish his career here in Little Rock. We're committed to him and his staff and hopefully this is a good indicator of our commitment to him."

Foley said that will likely be the case. He'll be 68 when this contract is set to expire June 30, 2024, and he said that it will take a lot for him to listen to another school as much as he listened from Kansas.

UALR had perhaps its best season under Foley this year.

The Trojans set single-season program mark for victories (29), Sun Belt victories (18) and beat Texas A&M 69-60 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

"This will be my last contract," Foley said. "As far as fulfilling nine years, that will be dependent on health and how it's going. But I've had a great time this year and if coaching is anything like this year, you can stay for a long time. So, just hope we keep having fun."

Foley said as important as his raise was the one for his assistants. Cash has been on Foley's staff since 2008, Dallimore arrived in 2009 and Brasel completed his second season. Together, the staff earned about $173,000 last year.

"It doesn't do any good if I stay here and I don't have people that I can count on," Foley said. "We're going to lose assistants here and there, but we don't need to be losing them because of money. We need to be losing them because they're moving up."

Sports on 04/21/2015

Upcoming Events