Illinois-Chicago's Collins gets 3-year contract extension

CHICAGO -- Illinois-Chicago coach Jimmy Collins received a three-contract extension on Tuesday.

The deal, which runs through the 2008-09 season, must be approved by the board of trustees, which meets Thursday.

The proposed deal would raise Collins' pay to $299,027 per year over the life of the contract, according to a document prepared for the meeting. Collins' current deal calls for $244,027 this year in salary and pay for education, public relations, consulting and promotional appearances.

The proposed extension also includes additional compensation for conducting summer basketball camps and bonuses for reaching attendance goals and postseason play, the document said.

"It's a combination of his loyalty to the institution, both at the Urbana campus and at the Chicago campus," Illinois-Chicago athletic director James Schmidt said Tuesday. "He's done a tremendous job of molding young people."

The 55-year-old Collins, who joined the Flames' in 1996, was an assistant for 13 years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he recruited future NBA stars Kendall Gill, Marcus Liberty and Nick Anderson.

He has led Illinois-Chicago to a 131-109 record in his eight seasons, including 20 or more victories the past three seasons.

The Flames have been to the NCAA tournament two of the past three seasons, losing to Kansas 78-53 in the first round this year and to Oklahoma 71-63 in 2002.

In between, the Flames went to the NIT in 2003 and lost to Western Michigan, 63-62, in the opening round. They also won the league's postseason tournament in 2002 and 2003.