BOZEMAN — With the new contracts they signed as Montana State basketball coaches, Tricia Binford and Danny Sprinkle each stand to earn more than $167,000 annually, per the contracts obtained by MTN Sports. Both contracts went into effect on April 1 and run through April 30, 2025.
Binford, who just concluded her 16th season as the Montana State head women’s basketball coach, will earn $168,300 annually as part of her new four-year contract. She will be paid an additional $30,000 per year for appearances on radio and television shows arranged by MSU, and also has retention incentives of $10,000 if she remains the Bobcats’ coach on July 1 of each of the first two years of the contract and $12,500 for the third and fourth years of the contract.
There’s another $17,500 available each year to Binford if she “promotes and participates in fundraising activities, social activities, Booster functions (social and golf), public speaking engagements, and ticket sales campaigns (season and single game),” according to the contract. Sprinkle’s incentive for the same events is $20,000.
Binford’s contract also includes a number of performance incentives — both academic and athletic. She receives a $5,000 bonus if the Bobcats win 20-23 games during one season (including postseason), another $5,000 if they win 24-28 (including postseason) and another $7,500 if they win 29 or more games (including postseason). There are also incentives for finishing the regular season as the Big Sky Conference champion or co-champion ($7,500) and being selected for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championships ($10,000) or NIT ($2,500). Binford would receive $10,000 for each MSU win in the NCAA Tournament and another $25,000 if the Bobcats advance to the Final Four. There’s a $50,000 bonus if they win the national championship.
Binford hasn’t guided the MSU women to a losing season since the 2007-08 campaign and has averaged 19.8 victories per season over the past five years. The Bobcats went 25-6 during the 2019-20 season, recording the program’s best-ever win/loss record. MSU had back-to-back 20-win seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17 and won the Big Sky Conference tournament championship in 2017 to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Going forward, Binford will earn $7,500 if she’s recognized by the Big Sky as the league’s coach or co-coach of the year. She gets an additional $7,000 if she’s named a regional and/or national coach or co-coach of the year.
Academically, Binford will receive $2,500 for each semester the women’s basketball team achieves an average team grade-point average of 3.45 or higher. Binford also receives $5,000 for each academic year the team achieves a GPA of 3.45 or higher. She receives another $5,000 for each year the women’s basketball team is placed in the top 10 of the annual team GPA recognition by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
If the women’s basketball program earns an NCAA academic progress rate score of 985, Binford earns another $10,000, and she earns another $5,000 each year the Montana State athletic department earns an NCAA academic progress rate score of 985.
Additionally, Binford can earn more money depending on ticket sales: $5,000 if 475-plus season tickets are sold in Year One, $5,000 if 525-plus season tickets are sold in Year Two, and $5,000 if 575-plus season tickets are sold in Year Three. If fans purchase more than 5,500 individual tickets during a season, Binford receives $1,500, and she earns $1,000 if fans purchase more than 6,000 individual tickets in a season.
Per the contract, if either MSU or Binford terminate the agreement, the terminating party must pay an amount equal to the prorated base salary and benefits remaining on the contract.
Sprinkle’s contract, of course, is structured similarly but with different dollar amounts. Sprinkle, who just concluded his second season as MSU’s head men’s basketball coach, will earn $167,280 annually as part of his new four-year contract.
His retention incentives are $25,000 in Year One, $30,000 in Year Two, $35,000 in Year Three and $40,000 in Year Four. He will also be paid an additional $50,000 per year for his appearances on radio and television shows arranged by the university.
The Bobcats went 16-15 in Sprinkle’s first year the helm in 2019-20. They went 13-10 during the 2020-21 season and reached the Big Sky Conference tournament championship game for the first time in 12 years.
Sprinkle’s future on-court performance incentives are nearly identical to Binford’s:
- $5,000 if the Bobcats win 20-23 games during one season (including postseason)
- $5,000 if they win 24-28 (including postseason)
- $7,500 if they win 29 or more (including postseason)
- $7,500 if the Bobcats finish the regular season as Big Sky champions or co-champions
- $10,000 if they’re selected for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships
- $2,500 if they’re selected for the NIT
- $10,000 for each MSU win in the NCAA Tournament prior to the Final Four
- $25,000 if MSU advances to the Final Four
- $50,000 if MSU wins the NCAA Division I national championship
- $7,500 if Sprinkle is recognized by the Big Sky Conference as the league’s coach or co-coach of the year
- $5,000 if he’s named a regional and/or national coach or co-coach of the year
Sprinkle’s contract also includes another clause, however — one similar to a clause in Travis DeCuire’s contract as the men’s basketball coach at the University of Montana. Sprinkle is required to bring in $160,000 in guarantee revenue for the athletic department. After achieving that benchmark, Sprinkle would receive the next $30,000 as a bonus. The $30,000 after that would be split between the assistant coaches, and any remaining revenue would go to the men’s basketball program.
Sprinkle gets another $2,500 if attendance increases from the previous year.
On the academic side, Sprinkle can earn $2,000 for each semester the men’s basketball team achieves an average team GPA of 2.8 or higher, $2,500 if the team has an average team GPA of 2.9 or higher, and $3,000 if the team has an average team GPA of 3.0 or higher. There’s a $10,000 incentive each year the team maintains a four-year NCAA academic progress rate average score of 950, and then $5,000 bonuses each academic year the team has an APR score 960 or higher. Sprinkle can earn an additional $5,000 if the Bobcats maintain a graduation success rate that is equal to or higher than the overall Division I men’s basketball GSR.
If either party terminates the agreement in the first or second year of the contract, they must pay the other party an amount equal to two years of Sprinkle’s base salary. If either party terminates the contract in the third or fourth year, they must pay a prorated amount equal to the remaining unpaid salary.
