News from Carbondale on Lowery

 From the Southern/Todd Hefferman

CARBONDALE - Southern Illinois University men's basketball coach Chris Lowery had no comment through the sports information office Monday after rumors of his contract being bought out by corporate donors.

Lowery, close to ending his third straight non-winning season, is signed through the 2013-14 season at an annual salary of more than $762,516. Lowery signed the richest contract in Saluki history, a seven-year extension with a base salary of $750,000 per season, after the 2006-07 campaign that saw SIU reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament and set the record for single-season victories (29). SIU was ranked No. 11 in the country in the final polls of the season, the highest in school history.

Since 2007, SIU has gone 58-66. A loss Thursday night in the first game of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference tournament will give Lowery his worst record as a head coach.

There is no buyout clause in the deal, only what the university would have to pay the 38-year-old if he was fired, which would be the full remainder of the contract. As of today, that amounts to more than $2.25 million. If Lowery were to resign, he would actually have to pay the university $250,000.

SIU Sports Information Director Tom Weber denied that an agreement had been reached to fire Lowery after the tournament and pay off the rest of the deal.

SIU opens the tournament Thursday night as the eighth seed, having dropped nine of its last 11 games. The Salukis (12-18, 5-13 MVC) play ninth-seeded Illinois State (12-18, 4-14 MVC) at 6:05 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

Chancellor Rita Cheng said anything regarding Lowery's future with the team will be discussed after the tournament. She said there are a lot of opinions about what the university should do with the men's basketball problem.

"Obviously, changes are going to be made. We have a problem, and we have to address it," Cheng said.
However, she added she didn't want to imply the changes were strictly about people. The whole program needs to be re-evaluated, she said, and officials have agreed to at least finish the season before engaging in discussions about what comes next.

"We are really focused now on ending the season," Cheng said.

In addition to the struggling season on the court, SIU struggled to attract many fans to the games inside newly renovated SIU Arena. This season, in nine home games, the Salukis drew an average of 4,064 fans, the lowest figure since 1997-98. The arena underwent $29.9 million in upgrades, including a new SIU Hall of Fame, a new concourse, new videoboards and more comfortable seating.

Last season, when the team finished 15-15, SIU drew 4,780 per game.

SIU athletic director Mario Moccia also said any deal to buy out Lowery's contract was just a rumor. He said no buyout has been planned, but, like every program, Lowery and his group will be evaluated following the season.

"Obviously, we have a long-standing process or policy of waiting until the season is over to evaluate," Moccia said. "We're not going to deviate from that. When the season's over, we'll evaluate both the women and the men's program."

Moccia said no timetable had been set as to when Lowery would be evaluated, but that he expected to do it within a week after the season concluded.

"When you look at all the data, unemotionally, that will lead you to the conclusion that if changes need to be made or not," Moccia said. "I certainly think that things need to be done in the program to return to prominence. I'd be disingenuous after an eighth-place finish in the conference, that after a 12-18 finish, that things are fine."
If SIU chooses to buy out Lowery's contract after the season, it will face heavy opposition to use anything but private donations. The university system, which includes SIU and SIU Edwardsville, was owed $140,404,254 in fiscal year 2011 appropriations as of Feb. 4, SIU President Glenn Poshard told the school's board of trustees earlier this month. Poshard said SIU was $20 million behind what they received last year.

The enrollment decline in fiscal year 2010 at SIUC lost the campus $4.8 million. The loss of stimulus funds took $7.5 million and the elimination of Illinois Veteran's Grant funding took $3 million for a total shortfall of $15.3 million. After new revenues and budget saving strategies such as the hiring freeze and administrative closure days, the campus would face a $1.4 million shortfall, according to Poshard.

eCougarzone.com will be at the Missouri Valley Conference opening round, quarterfinals and championship Thursday into the weekend. 

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