I suppose that a $400,000+ Salary could be enticing against his present $279,000. But I understand his wife is a very successful real estate agent in Granite Bay. If so, she may well be earning more than Jim in this market. Nonetheless, she might be willing to give it up- real estate market in Ogden UT not so hot.
Les was recently quoted, in a Bee article, that he was in it for the long run at Davis and that, after working so hard to turn the program around, he wanted to be around to enjoy the success. He has also been a very big proponent of the Aggie scholar-baller model of athletics and has said that the Aggie model was college athletics done the right way. Then again, I suppose everyone has a price at some point...
Yeah. I read that too. The problem is that I would have said that whether I'm willing to stay at Davis or not. In other words, that's probably the only appropriate statement here.
There are a lot of reasons for Les to stay right here:
1. He's worked hard to turn the program into a legitimate contender each year in the Big West and the sky is the limit of where Aggie basketball can go. I think he'd like to be around for the ride.
2. He believes in the Aggie model of recruiting high character athletes that get it done in the classroom as well.
3. He has a lot of history and connections in the greater Sacramento and Davis area and his wife is a realtor in Granite Bay and currently has listings up to the $1.5 million range.
4. His son Tyler, works in San Francisco and Logan, Utah, is a long way from SF.
5. He has often said that he and his wife love the Sacramento area and always wanted to return someday. UC Davis gave him that opportunity.
5. Money isn't everything especially when you have enough to be comfortable in your lifestyle. I'm sure he and his wife are doing fine and he just may be at a point in his life where the quality of the job, family, friends and geographic location are more important than a bigger paycheck.
Having enough money is the most important factor in a job when you don't earn enough but, after you feel comfortable with your income, nearly everything else moves to the head of the list.
How could that be on Les? Just that its out there? The better take is that we did so well after we lost him. I think that might be why Les may be a commodity now. It’s all about coaching in the hard times!!