UCI’s Douglass Gets Contract Extension

UC Irvine thanked men’s basketball Coach Pat Douglass for a job well done Friday, extending his contract by two years.

Douglass’ contract, originally set to expire in 2002, now extends through 2004, but without a raise from his base salary of about $110,000. Douglass did not seek the extension, Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said.

“We just felt we wanted to make a commitment to Pat and the foundation he has laid with his program,” Guerrero said. “We’re exactly where we had hoped to be by this time. We wanted to demonstrate our support for him.”

The Anteaters are 29-52 in three seasons under Douglass, including a 14-14 record last season. In 1996-97, the season before he arrived, the Anteaters went 1-25 while Douglass led Cal State Bakersfield to its third NCAA Division II championship.

Irvine first revised Douglass’ contract in 1998, after San Jose State expressed interest in hiring him. Guerrero said he hoped Douglass would stay through the duration of the contract but acknowledged that coaches at schools like Irvine often draw attention from higher-profile programs.

“I believe, at some point in time, I’ll be receiving a lot of phone calls from athletic directors interested in Pat Douglass,” Guerrero said.