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Rumors circulated during Louisville's courting of Kenny Johnson that U of L was able to throw more money in the direction of the assistant coach than he was used to seeing at Indiana. Now we know exactly how much.
According to the Courier-Journal, Johnson's contract, which runs through June of 2016, will pay him $375,000 a year. Perhaps more interesting than that is the fact that the contract contract includes a buyout. If Johnson leaves before July 1 of 2015, either he or his next employer will have to pay U of L $150,000.
Johnson coached under Tom Crean at Indiana for the past two seasons after spending one year as an assistant at Towson. Over that time, he has developed a reputation for being one of the best recruiters in the country. He was instrumental in IU landing 2014 stars James Blackmon and Robert Johnson, as well as a 2013 recruiting class that ranked in the top 5 nationally.
A coach with the nationally-known Team Takeover (Washington D.C.) AAU squad for several years, Johnson has an especially large presence in the mid-Atlantic and New England areas. With Team Takeover, he helped groom former Indiana stars Victor Oladipo and Maurice Creek.
Johnson's impact has already been felt at U of L, as Louisville have emerged as the top name or one of the top names among several elite recruits who weren't even listing the Cardinals five weeks ago.
