“Adidas has never, one time gotten me a basketball player in my 15 years. . . . They don’t promote their schools to recruits. Maybe it’s more because they are a European outfit, but Adidas has never one time directed a player my way.”

— University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, speaking to The Courier-Journal and other media outlets about the school’s sticking with a five-year endorsement contract where Adidas pays U of L a combined $39 million.

The contract helps pay Pitino’s huge annual salary: $5.1 million next year vs. $4.4 million this year. He’s also due $7.5 million in retention bonuses kicking in every three years starting in 2017. All told, his 10-year contract is worth $50.9 million in salary, according to the CJ.

Related: See the sneakers players wore during the school’s 15 best performances. The pairs, top and above, are Crazy Fast; $70 at Amazon.