Kansas University women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson has agreed to a new contract, athletic director Lew Perkins confirmed Thursday.
Details weren’t immediately available, but the deal is for five years and is expected to come with a pay raise. An official announcement is expected to be made in the next few days.
Henrickson, speaking after Thursday’s women’s basketball awards banquet at the Kansas Union, said Perkins initiated the talks.
“He came to me and was very supportive,” Henrickson said. “I appreciate his faith in what we’re doing. He understands we’re on the right track and we’re making progress.”
Henrickson had two years left on her previous deal, which paid approximately $380,000 in base pay and multimedia and public relations guarantees.
Henrickson is 40-49 in her three years at Kansas, after serving as head coach at Virginia Tech for the previous seven seasons. This year’s Jayhawks finished 11-20 but won five of their final nine against teams like Texas, Kansas State and Missouri. The Jayhawks also beat eventual NCAA Tournament team Oklahoma State in the opening round of the Big 12 Conference tournament in Oklahoma City.
The late-season surge, coupled with the fact that only two players graduate, makes the 2007-08 season significantly more promising.
Henrickson’s new contract has been worked on for some time, but both Perkins and Henrickson agreed the process lacked any significant snags.
“There weren’t any complications,” Henrickson said. “It went smoothly.”
