Foley, UALR negotiating for extension

LITTLE ROCK — After leading UALR to a NCAA Tournament victory last season, Trojans women’s basketball Coach Joe Foley and athletic officials are in negotiations for a decade-long contract extension, which would keep him among the upper pay ranks for Sun Belt Conference coaches.

UALR Athletic Director Chris Peterson let word slip Wednesday during a press conference announcing the Trojans were selected as firstround hosts for the 2012 NCAA Women’s Tournament. The contract’s details will hopefully be wrapped up by the time UALR opens the season Nov. 12 against Davidson, Peterson said.

“That’s not something that’s typically been done,” Peterson said. “Joe wants this to be his last job, and I want this to be his last job.”

With the extension, Foley’s contract, which will pay him $153,843 this season and includes a car and a country club membership, would be sweetened, potentially including an annuity element and bolster bonus compensation for Foley and his staff.

Foley, whose team is coming off a 27-7 season and a Sun Belt West Division title, said talks about an extension arose after the Trojans picked up their first NCAA Tournament victory, a 63-53 upset as a No. 11 seed over Georgia Tech.

“We talked about it a couple of weeks after the tournament,” said Foley, who has a 132-79 record at UALR entering his eighth season. “I told him [Peterson] what I’d like to have and what they could do.They’ve been working on it, and we’ll see what happens.”

The victory was a watershed moment for a program revived in 1998 that endured four beleaguered seasons, compiling a 24-87 record, before Foley’s arrival from Arkansas Tech. After three losing seasons, Foley has led the Trojans to four consecutive winning campaigns, including two Women’s NIT appearances.

“Everybody thought I was crazy for taking on this challenge,” he said. “Looking back, it was tough challenge, but it was rewarding to see what our teams achieved the past couple years.”

The prime lure from Russellville, where Foley coached for 17 seasons, was the promise of a new on-campus facility and a chance to rebuild a NCAA Division I program. With the Trojans, who are the preseason favorites in the West Division, now a tournament contender and with recruits in the pipeline, he decided it was time to cement a long-term commitment.

“It helps in recruiting,” Foley said. “Kids want to know where your commitment is, how long you’re going to be there. Any kid that makes a four-year commitment expects the same from you.”