On Monday, Virginia Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock announced a contract extension for women's basketball head coach Kenny Brooks. The six-year deal, which is worth $6.4 million, keeps the head man in Blacksburg through March 2029.
"I'd like to thank Dr. Sands and Whit Babcock for this wonderful opportunity to continue to lead the Virginia Tech women's basketball program," Brooks said in the school's release. "Their support, along with others, has enabled us to reach exclusive heights and I'm excited for the future.
"Chrissy and I have enjoyed our time with Hokie Nation and the Blacksburg community and look forward to many new and exciting memories to come. Last but not least, I'm excited to continue on this journey with my wonderful staff and group of young ladies that represent the VT culture so well. Go Hokies!"
Brooks, who was hired in 2016, has a 155-74 (.677) record in seven seasons in Blacksburg. The team's 31-5 mark in 2022-23 included an ACC championship, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and a Final Four berth — all firsts for the program. Tech has made three consecutive trips to the Big Dance.
Brooks' original deal in 2016 was worth $3M over six seasons (through 2022). In 2020, he signed a four-year extension that ran through 2026 and paid him $720,000 per year. With this new three-year extension, he'll earn $925,000 in 2023-24. That number will gradually increase to $1.2M in 2028-29, the final year of his contract.
Other parts of the contract include an increased assistant coach salary pool and operating budget, a bump in support staff salaries and higher postseason bonuses.
The new agreement makes Brooks one of the top-15 highest-paid women's basketball coaches in the country. South Carolina's Dawn Staley ($3.3M in 2023-24) and UConn's Geno Auriemma ($3.0M) lead the way, while Louisville's Jeff Walz paces the ACC at $1.7M per year. Brooks is now the second-highest paid coach in the conference, just ahead of NC State's Wes Moore ($895,000) and North Carolina's Courtney Banghart ($890,000).
"Kenny Brooks and his staff's commitment to Virginia Tech and women's basketball exemplifies hard work, determination and dedication to excellence and sets the standard for what college sports should be regarding academics, character and performance," Babcock said in the release. "Coach Brooks has revitalized our women's basketball program and enriched numerous lives through his impactful leadership. I join our fans in excitement as we look forward to the future success of Virginia Tech women's basketball."
The Hokies have won 20-plus games every season under Brooks outside of COVID-shortened 2020-21 (15-10, 8-8 ACC). They've really hit their stride in the last two years: a 54-15 overall record, 27-9 in the ACC. Elizabeth Kitley has won two consecutive ACC Player of the Year awards and she, Georgia Amoore and Aisha Sheppard each earned AP All-America honors.
This season pushed Virginia Tech into the national spotlight. It won 15 straight games over the final two months en route to an ACC tournament title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. It reached as high as No. 4 in the AP Top 25 and beat some of the nation's best teams in March, including Duke, Miami, Louisville, Tennessee and Ohio State.
As a result, the Hokies will play multiple games on the sport's biggest stage in 2023-24. They'll face Iowa and Caitlin Clark, who made last year's national championship game, in a one-off game in Charlotte, N.C. on Nov. 9 and will net $150,000 in the process. And on Nov. 30, they'll travel to Baton Rouge, La. for a rematch with national champion LSU in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
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