After finalizing Brian Dutcher’s contract with the San Diego State men’s basketball team last summer, athletic director John David Wicker expressed how “excited” he was for Steve Fisher’s longtime assistant “to be our head coach for the next five years, and then some.”

The “and then some” became reality Wednesday, when the school announced it has added a year to Dutcher’s contract after a rookie season that ended in the NCAA Tournament.

That means Dutcher now has five years left, through the 2022-23 season, on a guaranteed deal worth $4 million.

“We’ve talked about continuity, and he had a great first year,” Wicker said. “He showed a lot in being able to keep the team together, overcoming adversity, ending up as conference (tournament) champions and getting to the NCAA Tournament. It was a no-brainer to add another year and know that he’s locked up.”


Wicker has done this with other coaches of high-profile sports, extending football coach Rocky Long’s contract after last season and recently signing baseball coach Mark Martinez to a five-year deal.

“They’ve done it for Rocky,” Dutcher said. “If you have success and they like what you’ve done, they’re willing to roll you over for a year. In my first year, I think they were happy with the way the program progressed both on and off the court that they were willing to offer me a rollover.

“I was very appreciative of that.”

Dutcher’s contract paid him $755,242 last season in base/supplemental compensation and includes a $50,000 raise for each of the next four years. The new deal includes another $50,000 raise, bringing him to just over $1 million for 2022-23.


The buyout provisions for hiring him away stay the same, which is $2.56 million next season, then $1.76 million in year three and $1 million in year four.

Also unchanged is the separation cost, should SDSU fire Dutcher without cause. The school would owe him the remainder of the contract.

“All language stayed the same,” Wicker said. “Basically all we did was add a year.”

The contract doesn’t initially pay Dutcher as much money as Fisher, who made $1,026,000 in his final season at SDSU, but it provides more security and more potential bonuses. Last season, Dutcher earned an extra $75,000.


That included $10,000 for winning 20 games; $20,000 for winning the Mountain West tournament; $20,000 for making the NCAA tournament; and $25,000 for a four-year Academic Progress Rate above 969 (it was 990 for men’s basketball).

“The nature of college athletics is instability,” said Dutcher, who spent 19 years as Fisher’s lead assistant before taking over last year as head coach. “One of the keys to our success has been stability. We’ve been able to stay the course, and that’s important I think.”


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mark.zeigler@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutzeigler