Three SEC Basketball Coaches Receive Contract Extensions

The college basketball coaching carousel is burning and turning. Numerous coaches are wrapping up their final games during conference championship week as athletic directors seek out their successors. Ahead of what is expected to be a turbulent offseason on the carousel, SEC athletic directors are doling out extensions to keep the talented young stars in the league.

On Tuesday Lamont Paris became the first ever South Carolina head coach to be named SEC Coach of the Year by AP. The school surprised him, using a cake to break the news. I think he’s going to like his new contract a little more than the cake.

Paris started the season as the lowest-paid head coach in the SEC. According to Pete Thamel, Paris will now make approximately $4 million annually through the 2029-30 season. The move should deter Paris from sniffing around the Ohio State opening.

South Carolina enters postseason play 25-6, the most wins for the Gamecocks since Frank Martin took them on an improbable run to the Final Four in 2017 as a No. 7 seed. They open SEC Tournament play against Arkansas this afternoon at 3:30 pm EST.

Todd Golden is receiving what’s expected to be a similar deal. The AP reports Golden is signing a contract that will keep him in Gainesville through the 2029-30 season. Financial details are unclear at this time.

The former San Francisco coach got the Gators back on track during his second season, guiding Florida to a 21-win regular season and an 11-7 record in SEC play. You can expect to see Florida’s name in the NCAA Tournament bracket on Selection Sunday. The Gators will take on Georgia in Thursday’s SEC Tournament nightcap.

Similar to Golden, we do not yet know the financial details of Chris Beard‘s new deal, but after one year in Oxford, Ole Miss saw enough to sign a contract extension. Ushered out of Austin after an off-the-field incident with his partner, Beard landed at Ole Miss this offseason.

The Rebels won 20 games for the first time since 2019. Even though they struggled to beat the best teams on their schedule, they improved from three wins in league play to seven SEC wins this season. They’ll take on Texas A&M tonight at 7 pm for a chance to take on Kentucky in Friday night’s SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

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