Since arriving at Cleveland State in 2018, Chris Kielsmeier has transformed the Vikings into one of the nation’s best mid-major programs, a run that includes a pair of Horizon League championships, six straight trips to Indianapolis for the HL’s final four, and five consecutive bids to postseason tournaments. Accordingly, he’s received much-deserved contract extensions from the university in 2022, 2023, and, most recently, last Friday.
Here are three takeaways from that newest deal, which runs through 2030 and was obtained through a public records request.
Not Much Has Changed…
For someone who has proven to be the best coach in school history, Kielsmeier’s pay has made reasonable jumps over his seven years at CSU. His base salary in this latest extension increased from $190,000 to $215,000 per year, though he also receives $25,000 of additional compensation, “in view of the level of commitment and effort required…to fulfill his duties.”
There are, as is typical in a coaching contract, sundry performance bonuses, encompassing just about every area of the program’s operation.
Team success bonuses, which are capped at $50,000 annually (a reduction from the previous $100,000 figure, though that was balanced out by increases elsewhere), include items like $15,000 for winning the Horizon League tournament, $10,000 for capturing the HL regular season title, and $2,500 for a 20-win season. There is also a lengthy list of opportunities available for advancement in the NCAA Tournament, the WBIT, or the WNIT, as well as for winning a conference or national coach of the year award.
Academic bonuses are available based on the team’s Academic Progress Rate (APR), grade point average, and individual accolades. These range from $1,000 for each player named to the Horizon League’s Academic Honor Roll to $12,500 for a perfect APR of 1,000. Finally, another $25,000 is available if the program avoids violations of NCAA and university policy.
As in previous versions of Kielsmeier’s contract, Cleveland State must schedule guarantee games that generate at least $40,000 in gross revenue each season. That number has typically been covered by one road game against college sports’ long-established powerhouses.
…But One Important Thing Has
Under the terms of his 2023 extension, Kielsmeier’s buyout was scheduled to drop to zero on July 1st. That number began at $150,000, an amount only applicable if he left more or less immediately after signing the revised deal, before dropping to $75,000 between May 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, and then $50,000 between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
The new extension reinstates the buyout, though at reduced numbers that, essentially, just elongate the previous taper:
- $25,000 (now through April 30, 2026)
- $15,000 (May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027)
- $10,000 (May 1, 2027 through April 30, 2028)
- $0 (after May 1, 2028)
Women’s basketball coaches, generally, still make significantly less than their men’s basketball counterparts (case in point: UConn pays Geno Auriemma about half as much as Dan Hurley). With that in mind, it’s not crazy to think that a number like $25,000 or $50,000 might dissuade a school like Wichita State, a school where Kielsmeier’s name was floated a couple years ago, before the Shockers eventually paid Terry Nooner $341,000 per year. However, a one-time payment of that scope is basically a speed bump for a school like Kielsmeier’s alma mater, Iowa State, where legendary Bill Fennelly is approaching retirement age.
Staff Structure Revised, Pay Increases
It’s a subtle shift, but Cleveland State’s present staff alignment of four assistant coaches and a director of basketball operations (DOBO) was formalized by the extension. In 2023, Kielsmeier had three full assistant coaches, a DOBO, and a position called “special assistant to the head coach.” That latter post was initiated in 2021-22 with Danielle Migliore (remember her?), then subsequently held by Hanna Zerr and Chenara Wilson. Wilson was elevated to assistant coach last season, eliminating the special assistant job.
The salaries of staff members come from a pool negotiated as part of Kielsmeier’s contract. Each of his extensions have resulted in a jump in the size of that pool, and it’s grown roughly 10 percent since the 2022 contract. An $8,400 stipend for a graduate assistant is also included.
