John Groce Receives A One-Year Contract Extension And A Raise

It's good to be John Groce these days. Your first season at Illinois was not only a success, as you reached the tournament and won a game while there, but you've also done an excellent job recruiting. You're also one of the most popular people on campus because of it.

And now you're not only popular, but you're richer as well. The school announced on Saturday that Groce had received a one-year contract extension through the 2017-18 season and a $200,000 raise as well.

"We are pleased to extend John Groce's contract by a year and reward him for an outstanding job in his first season at Illinois," said Mike Thomas in a release. "The arrow is definitely pointing up for Fighting Illini basketball, and this helps solidify the commitment by both the University and John to continue moving the program to a championship level."

John Groce, as you'd expect, is pleased.

"This was one of the most gratifying seasons of my career because of how much I enjoyed coaching this group of players," Groce said. "They bought in from day one, had great attitudes, and gave tremendous effort which allowed us to have success.

"We are very excited about the direction Illinois Basketball is moving. Our staff and players will continue to work tirelessly to reach the championship-level standards we have set for our program on the court, off the court and in the classroom. When you combine the world-class academic reputation of the University of Illinois with the outstanding support of President Bob Easter, Chancellor Phyllis Wise, Director of Athletics Mike Thomas, the DIA and our other campus administration, we feel like we have all the pieces in place here to compete at the highest level."

The raise brings Groce's annual salary to $1.6 million, so if you go out to dinner with him at some point, let him pick up the check.

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