Mean Green

I did a little double-checking on the way the contract for new UNT women's basketball coach Shanice Stephens is written this afternoon. It didn't make a whole lot of sense that Stephens would receive a five percent pay increase on Sept. 1 before she had coached a game, even though that is the way the contract is written.

My suspicions were correct. That raise will kick in after Stephens completes her first year on the job.

The former Clemson associate head coach's contract includes a base salary of $137,500 and a $15,000 stipend for appearing on UNT's coaches' radio show for a grand total of 152,500 for her first year.

She will also receive a courtesy car.

There will be a story in tomorrow's paper that runs through the numbers again and will also include some figures the guys over at the Bowling Green Daily News provided me about what Mary Taylor Cowles earned while leading the Hilltoppers to the conference's regular season and tournament titles last season.

North Texas released a copy of the contract new women's head basketball coach Shanice Stephens signed on April 16 to the Denton Record-Chronicle this afternoon. Here are the key points of the deal.

UNT signed Stephens to a five-year contract that will expire on May 31, 2013, with a base salary of 137,500. The deal includes a five percent raise each year, the first of which will kick in on Sept. 1, before Stephens actually coaches her first game with the Mean Green.

Stephens will also receive a $15,000 stipend for appearing on UNT's basketball coaches radio show. There are a number of other incentives in the deal for winning the conference title, ticket sales and all the other typical add-ons in coaches' contracts.

When all is said and done, Stephens will be guaranteed $159,375 -- her base salary, five percent raise and radio stipend -- in her first season.

For comparison sake, former UNT head coach Tina Slinker's base salary in her final contract was $92,000, although the annual salary increases she received over her tenure had boosted that total to $123,289. Slinker's radio stipend was $10,000, brining her total -- base salary, annual increases and radio stipend -- to a grand total of $133,289 in her last season.

UNT wanted to land a high-profile assistant or former head coach to replace Slinker and was willing to spend a little extra to make that happen. If Stephens is as successful as UNT officials believe she can be, it will be money well spent.

Post your thoughts on the blog. Did UNT sign Stephens to a reasonable contract?