Coach Lorenzo Romar is out of town on the recruiting trail, but I had a chance to talk to Washington athletic director Scott Woodward (left) last night about Romar's new 10-year, $1.7 million per season extension.

The new deal will make Romar the third highest paid coach in the Pac-10 behind Arizona's Sean Miller and UCLA's Ben Howland who reportedly earn $2 million per year. Romar checks in ahead of California's Mike Montgomery who is at $1.6M a year and there's no telling how much Oregon will pay its new coach.

Woodward said the school wants to keep Romar among the top four in the conference.

(How did this happen?) "Lorenzo and I have common and frank conversations and (I) said hey let's talk about re-doing your deal because it's in his contract that we review it on even number years, in Year 2, 4, 6 and 8. We're in that cycle right now of year four of his new deal. He said I want to be here and I want to end my career here. He said I don't want to be coaching when I'm well into my 60s and this might be my final contract and I said let's get it done. So we decided to get a deal done."

(If this is the last contract, seems like there's some pressure to get it right.) "Like always, when you say it's your last contract, it's never really your last contract. It's your last contract as far as length goes because we're going to reward and pay Lorenzo in this new contract. We're going to review it every two years to make sure we're paying market and he's doing what he's set out to do and we're compensating him according to his accomplishments."

(Can you talk about him as a coach?) "He is everything you want in a coach. He's a good teacher. He cares about the right things for his student-athletes that they get their education. He is a competitor. And he's just an honorable person.

"I tell recruits and their parents all the time that I would let Lorenzo Romar raise my kids. That's how much I trust him and I think that's an important step that you ought to take in entrusting us with your kid. Does he pass that test? Is this the man that you want around your kids? From someone who knows him as well and as intimately as I do, there's no doubt in my mind that I feel that way."

(How long did the contract talks take?) "Minutes. Lorenzo is very easy to deal with and I'm a pretty straight-forward kind of guy. We just had to get some concepts and some things set because even though it's straight forward pretty much, you want to make sure you get all of your i's dotted and t's crossed."

(Why 10 years?)

Photo credit: Getty Images - Jim McIsaac

Washington announced this afternoon coach Lorenzo Romar (above) agreed to a 10-year-contract extension that extends to the 2019-20 season.

According to a release from UW, Romar recently agreed to the general terms of his new deal and is currently in the process of finalizing the specific language of the contract.

Specific terms of the agreement were not released.

Before the Huskies final game this season, athletic director Scott Woodward told the Times he was going to talk to Romar about tweaking his contract.

In 2006, Romar agreed to a renewed contract that bumped his salary to $1.105 per year and Woodward said: "we try to keep Coach in the top four in the Pac-10, where our athletic department expects to be."

"I could not be more excited," Romar said in the release. "I have always said this is where I wanted to be. It is so great to see President Mark Emmert, Scott Woodward and the rest of the administration step up and make it clear they want us to be here. That is really important.

"We have been blessed to have good character kids that have been productive student-athletes, as well as an outstanding staff, which in turn has enabled us to have had some decent success here at UW, advancing to three NCAA Sweet 16 appearances in the last six years. This new agreement enables us to continue the challenge of taking the program to the next level of competitive success."

Romar led the Huskies to a 171-91 record, five NCAA Tournament invitations and three NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances. He ranks third all-time in victories among UW coaches.

After losing three players who chose to transfer, Washington State began to replenish its roster signing Lakes High star Andre Winston Jr. (far left) to a Financial Aid Agreement.

The 6-foot-1 point guard from Lakewood will play for the Cougars next season, likely backing up Reggie Moore, who garnered all-Pac-10 freshman honors.

Winston signed a letter of intent with James Madison and could not sign another one, which is why he's on financial aid.

He averaged 20.8 points and 3.6 assists and was named the Associated Press Washington State 3A Co-Player of the Year, along with Riley Carel of Enumclaw.

Winston helped the Lancers to a third-place finish at the 3A State Championships, earning the tournament's MVP award. He set tournament records with 119 points and 45 field goals made in four games.

ESPN described Winston as "one of the better sleepers in all the Pacific Northwest. He is a combo-guard with a growing point guard mentality. His frame is decent for the next level and should fill out well enough to compete at the level. He has the athleticism to get by his opponents."

"Andre is an outstanding young man of high character coming from a successful Lakes High School program," Wazzu coach Ken Bone said in a release from the school. "He is a quick point guard with the ability to score baskets, but at the same time can see the floor and is unselfish. Andre will be a great addition to our backcourt next year."

In addition to Winston, the Cougars have signed Washington's 2A player of the year Patrick Simon, a 6-8 forward, and junior college transfer Faisel Aden, a 6-4 guard from San Diego.

AFTERNOON LINKS:

--- On its subscriber site, Scout.com is reporting the Huskies are making an in-home visit with Remi Barry, a 6-7 senior forward at Del Oro High in Loomis, Calif.

--- It doesn't look as if Oregon associate head coach Mike Dunlap will get the Colorado job. According to the Daily Camera, the Buffaloes next coach is Northern Colorado coach Tad Boyle.

ESPN will not increase it's current $800 million per year bid for the NCAA tournament and it looks as if the NCAA officials will choose the $840M CBS-Turner bid to televise what might be a 96-team tournament next season, according to Sports Business Journal.

Under the existing agreement, the NCAA would received $710M from CBS.

The NCAA is hoping to attract ESPN because it has multiple channels and media platforms.

If CBS-Turner lands the broadcasting rights, the tournament will most likely increase and it will be aired on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV.

MONDAY MORNING LINKS:

--- After five weeks and several missteps, it looks like Oregon is now focused on Mark Gottfried, the former Alabama coach who resigned last year.

--- UWTV and FSN will re-televise Washington's stunning upset against 75-62 against then-No.1 ranked Stanford tonight at 7 p.m. You can find UWTV on channel 27 in the Puget Sound on most cable providers. For more information, visit uwtv.org.

--- It seems like all of the recruiting buzz this season is focused on Kentucky coach John Calipari, who admits he's not a fan of the current one-and-done rule.

After Saturday's Jordan Brand Classic, UW recruit Terrence Jones said he plans to visit to Kansas because his friend Josh Selby committed to the Jayhawks.

Jones still has an official visit remaining and has told others his final five still includes Kentucky, Oregon, UCLA, Oklahoma and Washington. He also said he wants to make a decision no later than April 30.

It also should be noted Terrence Ross, Jones childhood friend and high-profile recruit, also has Kansas, Washington, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Oregon on his final five list.

Washington and Kansas have just one scholarship remaining.

Ross told me last week, he plans to visit Kentucky, Oklahoma and Washington.

SUNDAY MORNING LINKS:

--- Jones helped the West team to a 129-125 victory in the Jordan Brand Classic. NBAdraft.net summed up his performance.

--- I'm starting lose track of how many times Oregon has whiffed during its search for a new coach. This time Missouri's Mike Anderson reportedly declined a $3M per year offer from the Ducks. Add Anderson to a list that includes: Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon, Butler's Brad Stevens and Texas A&M;'s Mark Turgeon. And those are just the official offers that's been reported.

Not sure where Oregon goes from here. Maybe Terry Porter or associate coach Mike Dunlap. And P.J. Carlesimo may still be in the mix.

--- Rivals.com is tracking the college underclassmen who are declaring for the draft. Georgetown's Greg Monroe is the latest. You'll notice there's no one from the Pac-10, which suggests the conference will be strong next season.

--- It's a little old, but interesting story on Spencer Hawes, which asks the question: Why can't Husky fans embrace him? I've wondered the same thing myself. Whenever he's mentioned on this blog, he evokes a strong response from supporters and critics. I remember once I labeled him a Husky standout and someone admonished me for it, which is strange because Hawes led UW in scoring his one season and set a freshman scoring record in 2007, which was broken two years later by Isaiah Thomas.

--- Former UW standout Will Conroy began the NBA D-League semifinal series on Saturday with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He finished with 26 points and eight assists in a 122-120 defeat.

Here's a list of the Pac-10 scholarship players, who have decided to transfer.

Arizona
G Garland Judkins, sophomore
F D.J. Shumpert, sophomore

Arizona State
F Taylor Rohde, sophomore
G Brandon Thompson, freshman
G Demetrius Walker, freshman

California
G D.J. Seeley, sophomore

Oregon
F Drew Wiley, sophomore

UCLA
F Drew Gordon, sophomore
C J'Mison Morgan, sophomore
F Mike Moser, freshman

USC
F Leonard Washington, sophomore

Washington
G Elston Turner, sophomore

Washington State
G Anthony Brown, freshman
G Michael Harthun, sophomore
G Xavier Thames, freshman

SATURDAY MORNING LINKS:

--- Turner talked about transferring to a school in Texas and his father Elston Turner., a Houston Rockets assistant, said he'll look to place his son in the Southeastern Conference, including Ole Miss where he played.

--- In case you missed it, UCLA signed JC guard Lazeric Jones, a 6-foot-2-inch, 195-pound guard out of Chicago, Ill.

--- Looks like Oregon has set their sights on Missouri coach Mike Anderson. He met with Pat Kilkenny, whose leading the coaching search, on Thursday and they may meet again this weekend. Earlier this week, a radio station reported Anderson declined a $3M a year offer from the Ducks.

--- Oregon associate head coach Mike Dunlap told the Denver Post that he's still a candidate for the Ducks job, but he really wants to be the next head coach at Colorado.

--- Former UW star Brandon Roy underwent surgery to repair torn meniscus in his right knee and will miss at least one to two weeks. It's possible he could return for the playoffs if the Portland Trail Blazers are still alive.

--- Kentucky coach John Calipari is as much the focus at today's Jordan Brand Classic as the players. There's five unsigned players and four have the Wildcats on their final lists.

--- Garfield junior Tony Wroten Jr. told KJR-AM radio this morning that he's not playing football next season. He said his top five schools are Kentucky, Syracuse, Villanova, Connecticut and Washington. He said he plans to workout this summer with several former Huskies, including standout Will Conroy.

Credit: UW Video Operations Manager Trevor Wade

In case you missed it, here's a recap of Washington's postseason awards, which were given during the team's awards banquet Wednesday night.

Quincy Pondexter capped his Washington career claiming the Sports Radio 950 KJR AM Most Valuable Player award. He also won the 101 Club Scholar-Athlete award for academic achievement and the Harshman Trophy for the team's top rebounder.

Justin Holiday received the Hec Edmundson Most Inspirational award and the Wurster Award, which is given to the player that displays the most hustle.

Holiday and Venoy Overton were co-recipients of the John Meyers Defensive Player award.

Isaiah Thomas won the Industrial award for being the hardest worker and the Playmaker of the Year award.

For the second straight year, Darnell Gant won the Coaches award, which is given to the player that displays the best attitude.

Matthew Bryan-Amaning claimed the Most Improved Player award and Brendan Sherrer took the Brandon West walk-on award.

For the first time in UW history, the entire team was presented the Tyee Sports Council Service Award.

Coach Lorenzo Romar met with a handful of local media today to talk about sophomore Elston Turner, who decided to transfer. Here's some of that interview.

(Where you surprised?) "I was surprised, but not shocked. It didn't blow me away."

(Why?) "Because we've had conversations before. This wasn't the first time we've talked. We've talked before. You look across the Pac-10 and across the country, this is an age where kids transfer. It starts in the sixth grade, AAU teams they don't like what they see, you go to another team. With our program now where we've been fortunate enough to get better and recruit a high-level player that's just something that we may see from time to time. Guys transferring."

(Does everybody think about transferring?) "Other than Jon Brockman, I don't know if there's many that haven't talked about it at one time or another. The day something goes wrong or the week something goes wrong, that thought crosses people's minds. A lot of times it's not necessarily the player it's some other people talking about what you need to be doing. I think the era that we're in today, it happens quite a bit.

"It's amazing to me. I'll get calls in November, a kid is a freshman somewhere. Hey just letting you know so and so is unhappy at his school. It's November. He's a freshman. He just got there. I've had guys say when they sign that's not going to work. He won't be there long. You watch. You mark my words. And these are people in this kid's camp. So it's just something that goes around quite a bit. So it's not uncommon at all to talk about it let alone for kids to transfer."

(Is there something happening with kids that makes them want to transfer?) "The potential to be able to go to the NBA much sooner and the type of money that's made. There are a whole lot of others that get invested in someone's career. I think that has a lot to do with it. I think in the summer, the culture. A lot of times kids are having home visits in the eighth grade. Not from college coaches, but from travel teams and so on and so forth. It's just kind of a way of thinking.

"With that being said, I wouldn't put Elston in that category. I wouldn't put him in that category of listening to all kinds of outside influences. ... There are times when kids leave with hard feelings and I got to get out of there and they didn't treat me right. I don't think that's the case with Elston. I just think it was I want to look for another opportunity where I'll have more of a chance to blossom.

"Justin Dentmon thought that way when he was younger and it worked out. It crossed Quincy (Pondexter's) mind and it worked out. The ones that persevere it usually works out for them if they have talent."

(Do you explain that to your players?) "It depends on who they are. Bobby Jones came in and said coach I'm thinking of transferring his sophomore year. Bobby didn't want to transfer, but someone had gotten to him. You need to have more shots and all that. And I knew that. Bobby, c'mon. And he never talked about it again. There are some others that once they say it, they need to go."

EARLY EVENING LINKS:

--- Has Terrence Jones narrowed his list? Maybe so. According to Scout.com, the Portland standout recruit has reduced his favorites to three: Kentucky, Oregon and Washington. Not exactly in that order. The schools eliminated would be Oklahoma and UCLA.

--- I saw this being discussed on a thread of an earlier post, but for those who may have missed it North Carolina-bound guard Kendall Marshall tweeted he believes Jones and Terrence Ross are headed to Washington. Marshall predicted the futures of eight high-profile recruits. So far, he's been right on three and wrong on one. The other four are still uncommitted.

--- Not sure what to make of this, but Jones and Ross will announce their college choice together, according to ZagsBlog.com.

--- The 2010 Jordan Brand All-American teams were announced today. Jones is paired on the West team with Kentwood star Joshua Smith. The game is Saturday at New York's Madison Square Garden.