Pack assistants get two-year appointments

Three new members of N.C. State's basketball staff each received two-year appointments, according to information provided by the school today in response to a public records request.

Bobby Lutz, the former Charlotte 49ers head coach, received the top salary among assistants on the staff at $225,000 a year. Orlando Early, who came to N.C. State from South Carolina, will make $215,000 a year. Rob Moxley, who spent last season at Middle Tennessee, will make $205,000 a year

Early and Moxley both served under Lutz at Charlotte.

The coaches join the staff of Mark Gottfried, who was hired last month to replace Sidney Lowe. After the introductory news conference for Gottfried, athletics director Debbie Yow vowed to put the money on the table to allow Gottfried to hire a "phenomenal staff" that she said would lead the Wolfpack to a national championship.

"I know as a former coach how important that really is," Yow said on April 5. "It truly is. You see somebody that’s terrific, but then you realize, I don’t have the money to hire them? So it won’t be that way. He’ll be able to hire whoever he wants in all three of the assistant coach positions."

The salaries of the new assistants do represent a boost over those of the previous staff. According to the UNC general administration salary database for 2010-11, former associate head coach Monte Towe's pay of $176,748 led Lowe's staff. His salary combined with those of lead assistants Larry Harris and Pete Strickland totaled $477,723.

The combined salaries of the three new lead assistants will be $645,000 a year.

According to the same database, North Carolina pays $277,000 to top assistant Steve Robinson, $143,500 each to assistants C.B. McGrath and Jerod Haase, and $303,00 to basketball operations director Joe Holladay.

Ken Tysiac