Hester agrees to extension through 2028-29 season
Louisiana Tech men’s basketball coach Talvin Hester has agreed to a contract extension through the 2028-29 season. Photo by Darrell James
Louisiana Tech men’s basketball has its head coach locked in for the foreseeable future after Talvin Hester’s contract extension was approved by the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors on Thursday.
The two-year extension will keep Hester under contract through the 2028-29 season, while keeping his base salary at $130,000. If Hester terminates the agreement and were to leave for another job on or before April 30, 2025, he will owe the Louisiana Tech University Foundation $850,000.
If he were to leave before April 30, 2026, following the 2025-26 season, he’d owe $635,000. The buyout figure decreases each season of the contract term. If he were to leave on or before April 30, 2027, he’d owe $425,000. If he leaves Tech on or before April 30, 2028, Hester will owe $215,000. And if Hester were to leave on or before April 30, 2029, he would be liable to pay $100,000.
Tech had an impressive 2023-24 season with a 22-10 overall record – the most regular season wins since the 2019-20 season – as the Bulldogs ranked as the top CUSA team in both NET rankings (99) and KenPom (95) with one of the best defenses in the country.
The Bulldogs ranked seventh nationally in field goal percentage defense, allowing teams to shoot just 39.1% ( lowest in program history since the 1957-58 season). Tech also held 20 teams under 40% shooting this season, tied for the second most in the nation.
Hester, the NABC 2023-24 District 11 Coach of the Year, recruited recent All-Conference USA players Isaiah Crawford and Daniel Batcho, with Crawford voted as the CUSA Player and CUSA Defensive Player of the Year and Batcho named CUSA Newcomer of the Year.
In an age of transfer portal tampering and NIL deals in college sports, Hester was able to keep Crawford at Tech for his entire fiveyear career before Crawford got an opportunity the NBA’s Sacramento Kings this summer.
National analysts are excited about Tech’s outlook for the upcoming season, with ESPN Bracketology/ NCAA Tournament analyst Joe Lunardi picking Tech as Conference USA champions in his latest 2024-25 preseason bracketology.
