Jim Baron is Rhode Island's highest-paid state employee, but his pay package is in the middle tier of what other Atlantic 10 men's basketball coaches make.

Journal photo / Glenn Osmundson

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – When new University of Rhode Island president David Dooley was hired last month, one of his initial remarks to the Kingston community excited Rams athletic boosters.

 “He said his goal was to see every student-athlete finish with a diploma in the left hand and a championship ring on the right hand,” according to athletic director Thorr Bjorn.

 Those are words that ring true in Jim Baron’s ears. He’s gone out of his way to emphasize academic achievement in his eight years as Rhody’s basketball coach, and he’d like to be the man who delivers championships as well. In order to keep moving toward those goals, Baron has approached URI about a contract extension.

 Baron has four years remaining on a deal that pays him anywhere from $500,000 to $650,000 a year, depending on bonuses attached to his team’s success and attendance at games. While the four years affords Baron security, additional years are needed to sell the program to recruits, according to Baron’s agent, Robert Ades.

 “When he recruits people, he needs to show them that he’ll be there for four years,” said Ades. “I’ve asked Thorr to consider [an extension], and I imagine it will be forthcoming.”

 Where Bjorn and URI stand on the issue is unclear, if only because new president Dooley has not had extensive talks with Bjorn as of yet. Bjorn did emphasize that he’s happy Baron has four years left on his deal, and not fewer.

 “The good news is, in this economic climate and with a new president coming in, Jim has four years left on his contract, a good class of recruits coming in, and we’re very happy with our coach,” said Bjorn.

 Asked if he feels any pressure to extend the deal, Bjorn would only say, “under this climate and with the change in university leadership, I’m quite comfortable.”

 The issue URI could face if Baron’s contract were to fall under four years is the perceived stability of the program. Coaches who work with three or fewer years on their deals can be perceived as lame ducks by their competition. That clearly is a hindrance in recruiting, where college coaches frequently begin contact with prospects in their high school sophomore and junior years. With four years left on his contract, Baron cannot even guarantee that his son, Hendricken All-Stater Billy Baron, will play for his father if he chooses to enroll at URI in the fall of 2010 after a postgraduate year at Worcester Academy.

 In the last few months, two of URI’s chief rivals for Atlantic 10 supremacy have secured the futures of their coaches. Xavier gave new coach Chris Mack – who has no head coaching experience – a five-year contract. Dayton extended Brian Gregory’s deal by five years, keeping him under contract through 2018.

 While Baron is paid in the middle tier of A-10 coaches, pay packages on the national scene continue to explode. For example, the University of Kentucky just hired John Calipari to a deal that will pay him $3.8 million per year for eight years. That contract also calls for additional payments for winning conference and NCAA titles, relocation expenses, two cars and a country club. Providence College’s Keno Davis will begin the second year of a seven-year contract he signed last spring that pays him upward of $900,000 yearly.

 Although neither side would discuss the particulars of the talks, Baron’s goals in the contract talks almost certainly focus on additional years, and not a major increase in pay. The coach was the state’s highest-paid employee in 2007-08, the last complete budget year. According to URI officials, Baron was paid a base salary of $310,246. Bonuses for gate receipts at home games and a payment for one road game (at Syracuse, which URI won) totaled another $358,301. Baron also received about $70,000 in fringe benefits and a $2,000 bonus for leading the Rams to the NIT, good for a total of 643,215.

 Most of the money, however, was generated by the athletic department through fundraising and gate receipts, and did not come from taxpayers. The state contributes only 11 percent of the university’s budget.

 Baron’s eight seasons at URI have been marked by plenty of wins, but no appearances in the NCAA Tournament. He took over a program on NCAA probation but still led the Rams to the NIT in his second season as coach. That was enough for president Robert Carothers to extend Baron’s contract by five years through the 2012-13 season. Rhody went on to play in three more National Invitation Tournaments and has won 19 or more games five times in Baron’s eight years. The Rams have won 19, 21 and 23 games over the last three seasons. The 63 wins are the most in a three-year period in the history of the program.

 “Jim has proven he can win at Rhode Island,” said Ades. “He’s won more games in the last three years than at any time in the history of the program.”

 But URI’s recent NCAA tourney misses have dogged the program and fueled most of the angst of Baron’s detractors. The Rams’ best chance came in 2008, when they opened with a 19-3 record and vaulted into the Top 25. But losses in nine of the year’s last 11 games led to a disappointing 21-12 finish. In 2009, URI jumped out to a 16-7 start and finished second in the Atlantic 10 with an 11-5 record, but narrow home losses to Xavier and Massachusetts likely cost the Rams a bid. URI hasn’t played in the NCAAs since 1999.

 Interestingly, Baron will spend this weekend being inducted into the St. Bonaventure Athletic Hall of Fame. A former star player for the Bonnies, Baron also coached his alma mater for nine seasons, in which he won 132 games and led the team to three NIT appearances and one NCAA berth. He was voted the A-10’s Coach of the Year in 1995. Since he moved on to URI, he’s won three more A-10 Coach of the Year honors, including this past season.

Baron's current deal

Jim Baron's contract with URI is divided into several categories. Here are his earnings from the 2007-08 year, according to URI officials.

-TOTAL: $643,215

-Base Pay: $310,246

-Home Gate Receipts, based on exceeding attendance thresholds: $212,914

-Receipts from (1) Road Game guarantee, minus expenses: $48,055

-Fringe Benefits: (Retirement, car, country club dues): $70,000

-NIT Bonus: $2,000 per game

-Contract also contains bonuses for winning Atlantic 10 regular season, conference tournament, Coach of the Year award or playing in the NCAA Tournament. None of those bonuses were exercised.

kmcnamar@projo.com