Harrick Gets Deal Through 1999-2000

UCLA basketball Coach Jim Harrick, riding the Bruins’ NCAA title to a bolstered image and financial security, has signed a new five-year contract that will take him through the 1999-2000 season, Athletic Director Pete Dalis announced Thursday.

Terms were not released. It is believed that Harrick’s total package was worth about $450,000 annually on the old deal, which had two years remaining.

“I am very pleased with the progress of the UCLA program under Jim Harrick and we feel that Jim has built a strong foundation to continue the success that UCLA has achieved,” Dalis said. “We are pleased that Jim will continue to be part of the UCLA family for years to come.”

Harrick has spent seven years at the school, going 168-55. He also became the first Bruin coach to record 20-victory seasons and a trip to the NCAA tournament in each of his first seven seasons.

Last season, when UCLA won its first national championship in 20 years, Harrick was named coach of the year by the Naismith committee and the National Assn. of Basketball Coaches.