Paul Mills Slightly Toasty Seat

[ShockerFever]

I posted this a few weeks ago and I'll just post it here again.

Payments to Brown end in April 2026.

Payments to Marshall end in December 2026.

Mills' contract is here: https://www.wichita.edu/about/public...b-contract.pdf

His contract is 5 years, starting in March 2023. Every contract year ends on June 30.

Mills' buyout is in Section 21.2, page 10. If he is fired without cause any time before June 30, 2026, WSU owes Mills 100% of the remainder of his contract. If he is fired without cause after that date, he is owed 75% of the remainder of his contract (yes, 75%; this is worse for WSU than Brown's contract was).

Adding that all up, it's possible we let Mills go after June 30, 2026. Brown's payments will be done, and we'll only owe Mills 75% of the remainder of his contract. But looking for a head coach in June is way too late. So it's probably more likely that Mills is here for at least 2 more seasons. By then, all payments to Marshall and Brown will be done, and we'll owe Mills 75% of the remaining 14 months or so of his contract.

What an absolutely depressing dose of reality.

Saal structuring a contract like that makes him resemble BoatAnchor’s shadow. That is just horrible economics. Mills wasn’t that HOT of a commodity.

Has anybody on the athletic department staff taken a Finances 101 class? Good god.

[Ted Lasso's Neighbor]

I posted this a few weeks ago and I'll just post it here again.

Payments to Brown end in April 2026.

Payments to Marshall end in December 2026.

Mills' contract is here: https://www.wichita.edu/about/public...b-contract.pdf

His contract is 5 years, starting in March 2023. Every contract year ends on June 30.

Mills' buyout is in Section 21.2, page 10. If he is fired without cause any time before June 30, 2026, WSU owes Mills 100% of the remainder of his contract. If he is fired without cause after that date, he is owed 75% of the remainder of his contract (yes, 75%; this is worse for WSU than Brown's contract was).

Adding that all up, it's possible we let Mills go after June 30, 2026. Brown's payments will be done, and we'll only owe Mills 75% of the remainder of his contract. But looking for a head coach in June is way too late. So it's probably more likely that Mills is here for at least 2 more seasons. By then, all payments to Marshall and Brown will be done, and we'll owe Mills 75% of the remaining 14 months or so of his contract.

One thing to take into account too is there are ways for Mills to earn a 6th year (see Appendix E on page 21 of the contract) and so that's something that would have to be taken into consideration of hypothetical buyout scenarios.

[SubGod22]

One thing to take into account too is there are ways for Mills to earn a 6th year (see Appendix E on page 21 of the contract) and so that's something that would have to be taken into consideration of hypothetical buyout scenarios.

Outside of a crazy weekend run to win the tournament, are any of those really a threat to happen? Is there something other than the 25 wins and conference titles that gets him an extra year?

[BOBB]

I intended to write that this program and many once proud programs were in their death rattle and replacing the AD or coach is like firing the captain of the Titanic after he hit the iceberg. Nationally, this is true. However, we certainly should be able to compete within our conference. Maybe Memphis can remain juiced for a while, but we should have the resources to be relevant in basketball.

I do think we are going to have to redefine success as what we do in conference for at least the next few years until we settle into some sort of FCS arrangement for all the remaining non power conferences. As much as it stings, I believe our decision to leave the Valley and the resource demands of the AAC were a poisoned chalice. One I gladly drank from at the time.

[rjl]

One thing to take into account too is there are ways for Mills to earn a 6th year (see Appendix E on page 21 of the contract) and so that's something that would have to be taken into consideration of hypothetical buyout scenarios.

He needs either 25 wins in the regular season, an AAC conference championship, or an AAC tournament championship.

I wish there were ways a year could be taken off his contract. Finishing in the bottom half of the AAC any year starting in year two, for example.

[RoyalShock]

Do we know that the buyout clause in Mills' contract is appreciably different that other coaches hired in the last few years? I just have a sense that when a contract is taken in it's full context - a few gives here, or takes there - there's a consistency across the industry. Mills had at least done something positive as a HC, whereas Brown had not. I believe their starting salaries were identical. So, I'm not ready to fault Saal without more data with which to judge the contract.

I think rjl is right, that we're looking at two more full seasons with Mills at the helm. Given the perception of the quality of players who came in from the portal - mainly, Washington, Hill, Beverly, DeGray - he has underachieved. This was the year to show he could assemble what looked to be a good pool of talent and win. If things don't change quickly and significantly, I don't know how this staff will be able to upgrade from the portal, juco, or high school ranks.

If the status quo remains, the only question left is, how far will WSU fall?

[rjl]

Do we know that the buyout clause in Mills' contract is appreciably different that other coaches hired in the last few years? I just have a sense that when a contract is taken in it's full context - a few gives here, or takes there - there's a consistency across the industry. Mills had at least done something positive as a HC, whereas Brown had not. I believe their starting salaries were identical. So, I'm not ready to fault Saal without more data with which to judge the contract.

We can debate the reasons why, but when Brown signed his contract, he had just finished his interim season where he won the AAC regular season championship and was named AAC COY.

[ShockTalk]

I intended to write that this program and many once proud programs were in their death rattle and replacing the AD or coach is like firing the captain of the Titanic after he hit the iceberg. Nationally, this is true. However, we certainly should be able to compete within our conference. Maybe Memphis can remain juiced for a while, but we should have the resources to be relevant in basketball.

I do think we are going to have to redefine success as what we do in conference for at least the next few years until we settle into some sort of FCS arrangement for all the remaining non power conferences. As much as it stings, I believe our decision to leave the Valley and the resource demands of the AAC were a poisoned chalice. One I gladly drank from at the time.

Well, this conference is at the MVC level already...........with Memphis still here.

Conference NET Ranking - 2024 Men's College Basketball | WarrenNolan.com

Might need to get a handle on just how much other teams for both conferences are paying their coaches (minus Memphis). If the AAC is paying a lot more across the board, its school members are not getting their money's worth.

[Ted Lasso's Neighbor]

Outside of a crazy weekend run to win the tournament, are any of those really a threat to happen? Is there something other than the 25 wins and conference titles that gets him an extra year?

I doubt any of them happen this year, but anything could happen in the future if there's an easy pre-season schedule and a weak conference. But an extra year is something to take into account if one is figuring up possible buyout options outside of it happening this year.

[JVShocker]

I’m not sure how much quality coaching even matters anymore, You have to be able to constantly bring in new talent, that’s the name of the game. You have to be good enough to figure out how to mesh new players year over year. Old school coaches that depended on developing young guys are leaving the game. We’re still figuring out which coaches can do this, especially at schools with NIL deficiencies.

Agreed. A lot of excellent coaches have chosen to stop playing "the game" with the semi-pro players. Not sure what else to call them. I'd just as soon see the University adopt something signing players to "contracts" for 2 years. Kind of like work for hire. Seriously, something has to change. Or some other type of "classic" league has to be formed by Universities that roll back the rules (so to speak) and players sign the dotted line for 2 years, 3, 4 whatever, but it is unbreaking. Minimum payouts only to players, based on a uniform amount across all schools. I really have no idea what the answer is, but pandora's box has been opened. Not sure how to close it.

[another shocker]

Why would you make a change now?

ADKS and HCPM stopped the financial bleeding (for now) and have been a big part of record revenue. Those are the facts. We can argue if those numbers are sustainable, I get it. But we are financially in a better place, both figuratively and emotionally than we were 2 seasons ago.

We're just going to have ride this out, for good or bad (probably bad) and hope future adjustments will afford schools like WSU a chance to build a program and a team. Chances that, frankly, aren't really here right now.

So, figuratively and emotionally (give us a ******* break), paying HCIB for 2 more years vs. the alternative was the right thing to do. That type logic could lead WSU waaay back into the 90's all over again and the early returns are showing that to be the case. No? Record revenue? *ullsh**.

But, the good news is HCPM looks better on the sidelines and sounds better on cold and dreary Monday night's. That alone should forgive the fact that he couldn't recruit a 3 point shooter to save his ass (get it?) to replace one that was the greatest shooter in the history of WSU basketball. I hope that doesn't need a translation.

[WuDrWu]

So, figuratively and emotionally (give us a ******* break), paying HCIB for 2 more years vs. the alternative was the right thing to do. That type logic could lead WSU waaay back into the 90's all over again and the early returns are showing that to be the case. No? Record revenue? *ullsh**.

But, the good news is HCPM looks better on the sidelines and sounds better on cold and dreary Monday night's. That alone should forgive the fact that he couldn't recruit a 3 point shooter to save his ass (get it?) to replace one that was the greatest shooter in the history of WSU basketball. I hope that doesn't need a translation.

We were heading right to '95. I'm not saying HCPM was the answer. Far from it. But we are in a better place, financially, today than 2 and 3 years ago. That does matter. It's not going to translate to wins, but it matters. It's a different landscape. If you think changing coaches today is going to make next year significantly better, you are kidding yourself. Ride this out, let's see where the NCAA goes with NIL, prepare for that moment and be ready to act when there is some future certainty. Paying THREE coaches that aren't here (JUST in men's basketball) is not going to help anything. Barring internal problems that as far as I know aren't happening, this is our bed for the next 2 seasons.

[SubGod22]

We're about to find out how irrelevant Shocker basketball can become to Shocker fans over the next few years.

If KS can keep WSU in the black then props to him, because he's going to get zero help from basketball.

[Dan]

We're about to find out how irrelevant Shocker basketball can become to Shocker fans over the next few years.

If KS can keep WSU in the black then props to him, because he's going to get zero help from basketball.

certainly not if he's giving out free hot chocolate

[BOBB]

Well, this conference is at the MVC level already...........with Memphis still here.

Conference NET Ranking - 2024 Men's College Basketball | WarrenNolan.com

.

This is exactly the point. We got out of the Valley where most trips could be taken by bus for all nonrevenue sports and scattered our geographic makeup to the four winds to end up with not much better strength, less stability, and higher costs. We have the benefit of hindsight now and without hindsight I’d probably make the same decision 10/10 times, but if you told somebody we’d be lining up against Rice and UTSA instead of Houston and UCF in 2025 they would have rightly asked “what is the point?”