Metress is still a steal for Jaguars

Augusta State head coach Dip Metress has had more success than any other coach in the Peach Belt Conference -- as well as the state of Georgia -- the past three seasons.

The Jaguars have won 81 of 100 games, and they've advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament the past three seasons, including an appearance in the national title game and another in the Final Four. Also in that span, Augusta State has won a pair of Peach Belt Conference regular-season titles, a pair of regional titles and a conference tournament championship.

With these achievements, Metress has been a bargain. According to financial records obtained by The Augusta Chronicle , Metress was the lowest- paid men's basketball coach in the Peach Belt in fiscal year 2008, earning $54,600 -- more than $10,000 less than the average men's basketball coaching salary ($65,134).

Since then, Augusta State athletic director Clint Bryant has bumped up Metress' pay, giving his highest-paid employee a raise of more than $14,000. Metress now earns $69,000.

But even with his current salary, Metress ranks in the middle of the pack of Peach Belt coaches. In fiscal year 2008, five league coaches earned $70,000 or more.

"Dip Metress and all of my coaches are underpaid," Bryant said Friday afternoon. "That's what you're dealing with in Division II.

"We will continue to address his salary as we can handle it. We will continue to recognize merit. ... I just don't want anyone to get the impression that Augusta State is not appreciative of Dip Metress."

"I'm never one to get caught up in salaries," Metress said.

"I came here for the opportunity to make Augusta State a national program. That's what we've done."

With a 115-43 record in five seasons with the Jaguars, including an 11-3 mark in NCAA Division II Tournament play, Metress is a hot commodity. Georgia Southern, a Division I school, has called Augusta State to speak with him.

Jaguars fans like Chris Etterlee are hopeful Metress will continue to coach at Augusta State and extend his run of success.

The school has almost tripled its fan base from Metress' first year (584 fans a game) to this past season (1,688).

Etterlee, an Augusta State graduate, said he feels the school is not doing enough to keep Metress around.

"If Dip leaves," Etterlee said, "fan support won't decrease gradually. It'll be instantaneous."

Georgia Southern -- if it decides to offer Metress its vacant job -- can give him a sizeable raise as well as something he currently does not have: a full-time assistant coach.

Augusta State is one of two Peach Belt schools without a full-time assistant in men's basketball. Robbie McKinlay, who served two seasons as a graduate assistant, worked his third year under Metress as a part-time assistant earning less than $16,000.

The other school without a full-time assistant is Georgia Southwestern. The difference between Georgia Southwestern and Augusta State? The Americus, Ga., school had a fall enrollment of 2,717 (almost 4,000 students fewer than Augusta State). As for other Peach Belt schools, only Columbus State (7,951) and Armstrong Atlantic State (7,067) had higher fall enrollments than Augusta State (6,689), according to the University System of Georgia and the Peach Belt Conference.

Bryant said none of his teams has full-time assistants.

Instead, Augusta State relies on graduate assistants. He said funding is one reason why -- the athletic department receives most of its money through student athletic fees.

Bryant also added that comparing salaries is more complicated than it appears.

On a school-by-school basis, different institutions can pay their head coaches and assistant coaches through teaching jobs or by including summer camp income in their posted salaries.

In fall 2008, Ben Miller started earning $70,000 at UNC Pembroke because he has a doctorate degree which allows him to teach graduate and undergraduate courses in kinesiology.

But of the six league coaches who taught this past semester, many of them like Jeff Burkhamer at Armstrong Atlantic State -- who has since taken the head coaching job at Lander -- taught physical education courses like "Coaching Basketball."

Baseball coach Skip Fite is the lone head coach who teaches at Augusta State, and assistant baseball coach Chris Cooper is the lone assistant teaching.

"I think you'd have to go institution by institution," Bryant said, "to see where these things come into play."

So if a larger school, such as Georgia Southern, comes along to offer Metress a job, Bryant said Augusta State's hands are tied.

"If the next level of school comes after him, there's nothing Augusta State can do to keep him," Bryant said. "He's going to do what's best for him and his family. If that means that he gets a better opportunity for him financially, for him and his family, I'm going to be his No. 1 fan and support him.

"Whatever happens, we'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645 or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com.