After 11 seasons under the direction of Jim Foster, the Ohio State women’s basketball program officially has a new coach.
Kevin McGuff, who left his head coaching position at the University of Washington after two seasons, will take his place as the eighth head coach in OSU program history.
“I’m incredibly excited, I’m incredibly humbled to be the coach at the greatest university in the world,” McGuff said during a press conference at the Schottenstein Center Wednesday. “I believe that we can have a program that consistently competes at the top of women’s basketball anywhere in the nation, certainly in the Big Ten.
McGuff will be paid $850,000 per year, as well as a $700,000 signing bonus and $500,000 in retention payments if he keeps the position through the 2020-21 season. OSU will provide a $1.75 million buyout since McGuff had extended his contract with Washington on March 26 through 2020.
If the Buckeyes win the Big Ten championship, McGuff will receive a $20,000 bonus and a year added to his agreement. Should the team also win the Big Ten tournament, it will mean an additional $40,000 and an extra year.
In terms of a postseason, McGuff will make $40,000 for advancing to the NCAA tournament and $20,000 for making it to the Elite Eight with an extra year added to his contract. If the team makes it to the Final Four, McGuff stands to make an additional $20,000, and by winning the national championship, he’ll earn $100,000.
Should he then be named NCAA Coach of the Year as well as earning one of the above accomplishments, McGuff will receive a $20,000 bonus.
McGuff also stands to receive $50,000 if the annual team cumulative grade point average is 3.0; $100,000 if its 3.3; and $150,000 if its 3.5 by May 30 each year.
McGuff said he’s excited about the challenges the position will bring.
“We will be a really, really tough-minded defensive team, we will be one of the best-rebounding teams in the country, and we will be a team that plays really fast and really aggressively on offense,” McGuff said.
Prior to coaching at Washington, where he compiled a 41-26 record over two seasons and took the Huskies to the quarterfinals and second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, respectively, McGuff spent nine seasons at the helm at Xavier University.
At Xavier, he had a 214-73 record, setting the school record for the most wins in program history and reaching the postseason every season. In his last two seasons there, Xavier went undefeated, 14-0, in A-10 conference play.
He also led the Musketeers to four A-10 tournament championships and six NCAA tournaments.
McGuff also held an assistant coach position at Miami University (Ohio) for three years until taking a job as an assistant coach at Notre Dame in 1996. He remained there for six years before becoming head coach at Xavier.
Former OSU coach Jim Foster, who had a 279-82 record, was fired on March 19. He will be receiving $350,000 in installment payments from June 30 to April 30, 2014. Under his contract, which was terminated early, Foster is required to make “reasonable and diligent efforts” to find a similar employment position. If he instead chooses to retire, his retirement benefits from the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System would off-set OSU’s $350,000 payment.