No Austerity in OU Basketball Land

With high unemployment, a manufactured debt crisis (thanks Tea Party!) and a reeling stock market, Sooners are well aware of economic uncertainty and hard times.

Or maybe not. Down at OU, new basketball coach Lon Kruger is, well, rolling in cash. 

As the Tulsa World reported recently, Kruger's bonuses alone could total $270,000—a terrific payout for success on the court. Sure, his players have to win games to collect this money, but these numbers make it difficult to claim that Kruger is being underpaid.

Oh, and his six-year contract comes in at a cool $16.6 million. 

Here are some of the financial sweetners as reported in the World:

• $20,000 bonus for winning the Big 12 title or the Big 12 tournament
• $25,000 for making the NCAA tournament
• $25,000 for advancing in each round of the tournament
• $15,000 for being named Big 12 coach of the year
• $25,000 for being named national coach of the year. 

There are other incentives in Kruger's contract as well, including $500,000 longevity bonus to be paid out if he stays until 2016.

And (finally) there's something in Kruger's contract about learning. Coach Kruger also gets a $25,000 bonus if the team's average GPA is 3.0 or higher. 

Hmmm. Seems like that last incentive is far less important than those on-the-court goals.