Shyatt Debate Ends with New Two-Year Extension |
CLEMSON - The "Fear Larry, Fire Larry" debate finally reached a conclusion
Friday afternoon. After a tumultuous week of rumors and questions about his job status, Clemson head basketball coach Larry Shyatt and the university agreed to a two-year extension of his current contract. The deal - which runs through the end of the 2004-2005 season - would have expired after next year, Shyatt's fifth on the job. The announcement was made late Friday afternoon by Athletic Director Bobby Robinson, along with Director of Football/Basketball Operations Bill D'Andrea. "We're very pleased," Shyatt said Friday. "I think everybody knows how we feel about our commitment here, our loyalty here and our passion to prove we can place this program at a higher level than it is at the moment in a lot of different ways. "So I embrace the decision, and I hope that our players and our staff work all that much harder to prove to the people who care the most about Clemson that we will continue to serve to the best of our ability." Robinson said he and D'Andrea evaluated Shyatt's program in five areas - wins and losses, academics, discipline and compliance, public relations and recruiting. For the second consecutive year, Shyatt scored high in every category except wins and losses. This despite the team's overall grade point average slipping to a cumulative 1.84 last semester. "We feel like that's coming back to where it needs to be," Robinson said. Still, it's the wins and losses creating the highly public debate as to whether Shyatt should have returned. His four-season record at Clemson is 55-71, including a 16-53 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play. After winning 20 games with a senior-laden club his first season, Shyatt's Tigers have won 10, 12 and 13 games, respectively, in the next three, all last-place finishes in the conference. But there is reason to believe the coming season will bring better things for Clemson. The Tigers lose just one player, senior Jamar McKnight, and will have a balance in the classes for the first time in over five seasons. And with nine of the ACC's top 11 scorers not returning next season, along with 22 of 40 starters throughout the league, there is a feeling among those in the Shyatt camp that 2002-2003 will be a breakout season for the team. Still, Robinson said the team's record must eventually begin to meet the optimism. "While obviously we'd like to win more games, and those have to come, we feel there are enough positive signs in the program to justify this (extension)," Robinson said. "We need to see progress. It was a major concern a year ago and it's a major concern today. We need to see progress in the win-loss column. "But you evaluate everything...and there were positives everywhere except for the wins and losses. That's obvious to everybody, including coach Shyatt." Robinson said he and D'Andrea met with President James Barker Friday and jointly made the recommendation to retain and extend Shyatt. Robinson said Barker agreed with the recommendation. "I think it's a win-win for Clemson, a win-win for coach Shyatt, as well as the athletic department and the AD," Robinson said. "A lot of thought went into this, what you should do and how you should do it. This is what we feel is in everyone's best interest." During the Friday teleconference, Shyatt was asked if he would have returned to Clemson without the extension. After originally talking around the question, when pressed he indicated he likely wouldn't have done so. "I don't think that would be in anyone's best interest," he said. The extension will prove to be invaluable in recruiting, but also provides Shyatt with a guaranteed buyout in each season. His contract, which eventually totals $420,000, has a base salary of $132,600 per year for the life of the deal. To buy out the contract, Clemson would have to pay Shyatt $200,000 at the end of next season, $180,000 at the end of 2003-2004, and $160,000 at the end of the following year.
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