Under the contract extension that former Arizona women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes signed in May 2021, she was given base pay and bonuses. The new contract for Becky Burke will be structured more like that of men’s basketball coach Tommy Lloyd.
Burke will make $325,000 in base pay for the first two years of her contract. That goes up to $350,000 in year three, $375,000 in year four, and $400,000 in year five.
The contract also includes an added amount for unspecified “other duties.” This is the part that was not in Barnes’ contract according to the press release from the department in 2021. She had a five-year base pay totaling $5.85 million plus bonuses. The final year was set to pay her $1.3 million plus any bonuses.
In Burkes’ contract, the base pay will be augmented by $350,000 per year for the “other duties” plus any possible bonuses. That would make it $675,000 in the first two years of the deal. That goes up to $700,000 in year three, $725,000 in year four, and $750,000 in year five.
Yearly bonuses can be as high as $130,000 depending on if the team wins a conference title, if and how far it advances in the NCAA Tournament, year-end rankings, APR scores, and team GPA. That would total $805,000 in each of the first two years if all bonuses are met at their highest levels. In year five, meeting all bonuses at their highest level would lead to total pay of $880,000.
The bonus for winning a regular season or conference tournament title is $10,000. NCAA tournament appearances range from $10,000 (a berth) to $50,000 (a national championship). End-of-year rankings bonuses range from $5,000 to $10,000. Team GPA bonuses range from $15,000 to $45,000. APR bonuses range from $10,000 to $15,000.
Burke will also get a retention bonus of $100,000 if she’s still employed by the University after Mar. 31, 2028.
She will have a pool of $900,000 for her staff.
Each contract year ends on Mar. 31. The contract terminates in 2030.
Burke will be given $20,000 in moving expenses that she must pay back if she leaves before Mar. 31, 2026. She also received a $25,000 bonus if she signed the term sheet within an hour.
The university will provide a car or a $600 monthly stipend for a car, tickets to various Arizona sporting events, and family travel for post-season events.
Arizona is paying Buffalo $300,000 of Burke’s buyout.
If the university fires Burke without cause, they would owe her 60 percent of the remaining amounts of base pay and pay for other duties. That amount would be offset if she were to take another job during the period of the agreement.
Burke would also be responsible for paying 60 percent of the remaining base pay and “other duties” compensation if she leaves before the end of the contract.
Burke cannot take a position as a coach or analyst at another Big 12 university during the term of the agreement or for one year after termination.
Burke made $250,000 in base pay at Buffalo as of the 2023-24 season. She also had a maximum bonus of $307,000.
The deal must be approved by the Arizona Board of Regents.