Kentucky basketball assistant coach Chin Coleman awarded raise, contract extension

LEXINGTON — After losing assistant Jai Lucas to Duke earlier this offseason, the Kentucky basketball program made a financial commitment to avoid further losses to coach John Calipari's staff.

Assistant coach Ron "Chin" Coleman was awarded a raise and one-year contract extension in May. The contract, released by UK's Office of Legal Counsel, was finalized earlier this week.

The new deal increases Coleman's 2022-23 salary from $500,000 to $575,000. His 2023-24 salary also increases from $550,000 to $600,000.

Coleman's UK contract had been set to expire after the 2023-24 season. The new deal extends the term of the deal through the 2024-25 season, during which Coleman will be paid $650,000.

Kentucky basketball: Chris Livingston could be the key X-factor for UK next season

Coleman was previously mentioned as a possible candidate to join new Missouri coach and fellow Chicago native Dennis Gates' inaugural staff with the Tigers. The extension came after the Kentucky offseason began with talk of a rift between Coleman and Calipari after Kentucky's Hall of Fame coach was spotted yelling at Coleman on the bench multiple times last season, including during the team's season-ending NCAA Tournament loss to No. 15 seed Saint Peter's.

Coleman accompanied UK associate coach Orlando Antigua to Lexington from Illinois a year ago. He arrived at Kentucky with a reputation as a strong recruiter with deep ties to the Chicago area. That recruiting work paid off this spring with a commitment from Illinois State transfer Antonio Reeves, a Chicago native who played AAU ball for the Mac Irvin Fire, which Coleman previously coached.

UK basketball: Can offensive game match freshman Cason Wallace's defensive work?

Calipari replaced Lucas on his staff with former Oklahoma assistant K.T. Turner. Turner's hire, which was first reported last week, was confirmed by Kentucky Wednesday.

"I knew that when we had an opening, K.T. Turner would be our next guy I’d be calling on,” Calipari said in a news release. “I’ve been very impressed with K.T. for as long as I’ve known him. He is from Cincinnati, his father worked for Tony Yates, and he still has ties to the area. He’s an established coach and someone who has a passion for development. He loves spending time in the gym working with kids and helping them continue to push for improvement. K.T. has done an excellent job of recruiting Texas, which has always been good to us, and has a terrific ability to connect with young people. He is exactly the coach we were looking for and I’m thrilled to have him join our family.”

The terms of Turner's contract have not yet been released by UK.

Email Jon Hale at jahale@courier-journal.com; Follow him on Twitter at @JonHale_CJ. 

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: UK basketball: Chin Coleman, assistant coach, signs contract extension