Colorado State University and women’s basketball head coach Ryun Williams have finalized a new five-year contract that will keep the Rams’ leader at the helm through at least the 2019-20 season, interim athletic director John Morris announced Monday.
Williams, the 2013-14 Mountain West Coach of the Year, will earn a base salary of $215,000 annually, with five one-year options exercisable by either CSU or Williams. The contract also includes bonuses for each of the following: Mountain West championship ($25,000), NCAA tournament berth ($30,000), Sweet 16 appearance ($30,000), Final Four ($30,000) and national championship ($50,000). All bonuses are contingent on the Rams women’s basketball program meeting all NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) requirements and having no major NCAA rules violations.
"Throughout his career Ryun has proven his ability to turn a program around, and in just two years, he’s done that here," said Morris. "We are happy to announce that he will be a Ram for a very long time and we are very excited to see the women’s basketball program reach new heights in the seasons to come."
Williams guided the Rams to a 25-8 record (.758) and the MW regular season championship last season, a dramatic improvement from an 11-19 (.367) record in his first season at Colorado State. That improvement ranked as the third-best turnaround in the country, when factoring increase in winning percentage among teams with at least 20 wins last season.
"I am humbled and honored to receive this new contract," commented Williams. "Colorado State University is a place my family and I believe in very much and want to be for a long time. I want to thank President Tony Frank for his faith and commitment in what we are building here. There is still much more work to be done, but there is no better place to believe in and serve than Colorado State."
Williams’ new pact also increases substantially the amount he would have to pay CSU if he were to leave before his contract expires. This includes an initial buyout of $1.075 million, with future buyout amounts determined by the number of years remaining on his contract multiplied by his base salary.
Williams brought eight new faces to the Rams’ 2013-14 roster in his second season at the helm. The team quickly realized it had an irrefutable chemistry, which resulted in eight- and 10-game win streaks, totaling 17 wins in 18 games, skyrocketing them to the top of the Mountain West standings and their first regular-season championship in 12 years.
The Rams, who were picked to finish seventh in Mountain West preseason poll, more than doubled their win total from last season, producing the best record in 13 years, and the third-most victories in program history.
The team earned a program-record 10 all-conference awards to six players. Williams was tabbed as the MW Coach of the Year as well as the Russell Athletic/WBCA NCAA DI Regional Coach of the Year. The Rams also received their first postseason invitation in 10 years, with a trip to the WNIT, and in July were named to the WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll. The Rams were one of the top schools academically at the NCAA DI level in 2013-14, ranking No. 22 with a 3.399 grade-point average.
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