By DON O'BRIEN
Herald-Whig Sports Editor

When he hired Jim Molinari, Western Illinois University athletic director Tim Van Alstine said his new men's basketball coach would have the time and the resources to turn the Leathernecks' program around.

Earlier this week, Molinari officially signed an eight-year contract worth $1.1 million to lead a program that has never been to the NCAA Tournament. The contract will keep Molinari at the Macomb school through the 2015-16 season. (To view a copy of Molinari's contract, click here.)

Molinari, 53, becomes the highest paid coach at the school with a base salary of $116,000. His contract, which was obtained by The Herald-Whig through the Freedom of Information Act, calls for an annual salary increase of $6,000 per year throughout the balance of the deal. His base salary will be at least $160,000 in its final year.

Neither Molinari nor Val Alstine were available for comment this morning.

Should Molinari, who led Northern Illinois and Bradley to the NCAA Tournament during his time at those schools, find similar success at WIU, he'll profit nicely. Should the Leathernecks reach the NCAA Tournament, he'll receive supplemental compensation of 5 percent of his base salary -- a $5,800 bonus if he were to do that this season -- and an additional 10 percent for each round the team advances.

An NIT bid would net him a $5,000 bonus with an additional $2,500 for each round the team advances. A College Basketball Invitational bid would net Molinari a $3,000 bonus and $1,500 for each round the team advances.

Should WIU win or share the Summit League regular-season title, Molinari would get a $5,000 bonus. A Summit League Tournament championship is also worth $5,000, while a Summit League Coach of the Year honor would mean a one-time payment of 5 percent of his base salary.

Molinari can also earn as much as $5,000 more per season should his players meet certain grade-point average goals.

Should Molinari be hired away by another college or NBA team during his first four seasons, his buyout would be equal to the amount of his base salary for that season. The school can terminate Molinari's contract without cause, but must pay him through the end of the deal, which expires on March 31, 2016.

Despite being on the job since his April 11 hire, Molinari has not hired any assistant coaches. He'll have a $100,000 budget to work with to hire two assistants. The program will also be allowed two graduate assistants. A third assistant coach will be added during the 2010-11 season, while a director of basketball operations will be added during the 2012-13 season.

The school has also agreed to build a wooden practice court, at a campus location to be determined, for the basketball programs. The upgrade is scheduled to be completed no later than the end of Molinari's third year.

Molinari replaced Derek Thomas, who averaged just eight wins per season during his five-year tenure at the school. Thomas, who had a 40-104 record, was budgeted to make $107,544 this fiscal year.

The Leathernecks haven't had a winning season since the 1998-99 campaign. The program has just two 20-win seasons since is joined the Division I ranks in 1981.

In 14 years as a head coach, Molinari has a 223-186 record. He's best known for his time at nearby Bradley University. In 11 seasons at the Peoria school, Molinari led the program to the postseason six times, including an NCAA Tournament bid in 1996. He coached at Northern Illinois for two years, leading the school to an NCAA bid in his final season in 1991.

-- dobrien@whig.com/221-3365

For more on Molinari's contract, visit Don O'Brien's blog — DOBservations.