Romar signs 8-year deal

BOISE, Idaho – Any fear University of Washington men’s basketball coach Lorenzo Romar would turn the success he’s found in Seattle into a job at a higher-profile school was erased Thursday.

Romar reached agreement on a new eight-year contract that will keep him at Washington through the 2012-13 season. He had three years left on a contract that he signed in 2002. Terms of the new contract won’t be revealed until it is signed, but UW Athletic Director Todd Turner said it would make Romar among the “top 25 or 30” paid coaches in the nation.

Romar’s previous contract paid him nearly $800,000 a season. Assistant coaches Ken Bone, Cameron Dollar and Jim Shaw also received raises.

“He’s as good a coach as we can do,” Turner said prior to the Huskies’ first-round NCAA Tournament game at Taco Bell Arena. “He’s as good as anyone can do.”

The deal was finalized about three hours before the Huskies tipped off their first-round tournament game against Montana. Romar said the timing didn’t affect his coaching during the game.

“I don’t know if it’s ever bad timing to get an eight-year contract,” Romar said. “(The administration) was very sensitive to the timing. I know it didn’t distract from what I was doing.”

Romar has led a dramatic turnaround of the Washington basketball program, despite reportedly being the third or fourth choice for the job after Bob Bender was fired. In three seasons, he turned a team that lived near the bottom of the Pacific-10 Conference standings into a national power. He’s compiled a 57-34 record and led the Huskies to the past two NCAA Tournaments. This year, Washington won the Pac-10 Tournament and received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the first top seed in the program’s history.

In addition, Romar has proven to be an outstanding recruiter, particularly locally. His incoming class of freshmen, including McDonald’s All-Americans Jon Brockman of Snohomish and Martell Webster of Seattle Prep, is rated as one of the best in the nation.

He has become a favorite of Husky fans and donors.

“You can’t put a price on that,” Turner said.

“He deserves it,” Bobby Jones said. “Look at what he’s done here. Who else would you want to coach here?”

Romar said he never had any intention of looking elsewhere for a job.

“I came to the University of Washington with the mindset that this is where I wanted to coach the rest of my career,” Romar said. “I thank the Lord that it has worked out up to this point.”

Romar holds a career record of 149-122 in nine seasons, which has included stops at Pepperdine and Saint Louis.

The contract does include buy-out clauses, but Turner doesn’t anticipate needing them.

“If I could have put handcuffs in it, I would have,” Turner said.

“You don’t get an extension if you don’t have great assistants and great players,” Romar said. “Players with the kind of character who hold tough in tough times. … Them and the assistants, they got me this.”

Brandon Roy said it’s no secret that Romar is a great coach to play for.

“It’s great for the program,” Roy said. “Guys want to play for him. I hear from (high school) players all the time who say they would love to play for him. I even hear from players at other schools who say they would like to play for him. He’s a perfect fit here.”

There was some concern that another program might try to convince Romar to leave Washington, where he starred as a point guard in his playing days. Turner was well aware that that was a possibility.

“I’m not living in a cave,” Turner said. “I know if I’m the athletic director at another school, he’s the kind of coach that I would want. He’s a terrific coach, a first-class human being. He’s got the ultimate respect of his players and he has a love for Washington.”

After leading Washington to a first-round 88-77 victory over Montana, Romar was already thinking ahead to his next contract.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m going to do everything in my power to remain here,” he said. “And hopefully at the end of the eight-year contract, we can do another one.”