If he is terminated without cause, University of Hawaii men’s basketball coach Eran Ganot would still be due “the unpaid base salary for the remainder of the three-year term of the agreement,” according to his just-executed contract.
But Ganot’s salary and benefits would cease upon 10 days’ written notice if he is terminated for cause. Grounds for termination with cause include “Deliberate, significant or repetitive violation of NCAA rules or a failure to report such violation.”
“The hiring of Eran Ganot marked the start of a new era in UH men’s basketball …”
Dan Meisenzahl
UH spokesman
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The terms were included in a redacted copy of the 20-page agreement released to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Tuesday under a State Open Records Law request.
Citing Ganot’s status as a member of the Hawaii Government Employees Association, UH has refused to divulge Ganot’s salary or how much it will increase by each year of the agreement. Ganot is guaranteed a raise each year.
The annual salary range for the position is listed at $185,000-$400,000. His predecessor, Gib Arnold, whose salary was announced by UH, was paid $344,000.
Unlike Arnold, whose contract contained a clause requiring UH to pay him an amount equal to his earnings at the time of termination without cause, Ganot has no such provision.
Ganot’s contract was signed Monday after a six-month negotiation, one day before the State House of Representatives held an informational briefing on the controversy that arose from the $700,000 settlement of Arnold’s contract grievance.
“The hiring of Eran Ganot marked the start of a new era in UH men’s basketball and his contract represents the start of a new era of greater accountability at the university,” UH spokesman Dan Meisenzahl said in a statement. “The Ganot contract is the first to go through a more stringent review process recently established by the Office of General Counsel and includes additional terms that honor the importance of NCAA compliance. It is important to note that the athletic department has also increased its compliance oversight and staff, and that includes regular training for UH’s student athletes, coaches and boosters on NCAA rules and bylaws.”
Under terms of the agreement Ganot is required to “promptly advise” the athletic director “if Coach believes or reasonably should believe that NCAA rules, University policy, and/or Athletic Conference Rules violations have occurred …”
In addition, his contract may be “cancelled or voided … if the University, the conference(s) to which Coach’s previous institutions belong or the NCAA concludes or has reasonable basis to believe … that Coach was involved in deliberate, significant or repetitive violations of NCAA rules during previous employment at another institution …”
Ganot has five bonus provisions in his contract, a third of those contained in Arnold’s deal. Bonuses for autograph signings, TV victories, postseason appearances other than the NCAAs and NIT and guaranteed rollovers for 18, 19 or 20-win seasons were not offered to Ganot.
He may receive $25,000 for winning a conference regular-season championship or $15,000 for a conference tournament title. In addition, Academic Progress Rate targets may yield bonuses of $5,000-$10,000 annually, while NCAA Tournament or NIT appearances would bring $5,000-$15,000, with additional pay for advancing in the postseason.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820
