Kim Barnes Arico Agrees to 3-Year Extension With The Michigan Wolverines. Is That Good?

Michigan Wolverine's coach Kim Barnes Arico will be with the maize and blue through at least the 2020-21 season. On Monday, interim athletic director Jim Hackett announced the three-year extension, which will pay Barnes Arico $360,000 a year, plus the usual bonuses for things like winning the Big Ten or NCAA tournaments, which, honestly, seem pretty unlikely. Let's break it down.

According to MGoBlue.com, here's Kim Barnes Arico herself on the news:

"When I came to Michigan three years ago, I really believed it was a place my family and I would be at for a long time... I left a top 20 program and the region I grew up in because I believed in the vision of Michigan, everything it has to offer its student-athletes and its commitment to excellence."

So is this good news? There's a poll at the end of this, which means I'm passing the burden of analysis from me to you. I'm conflicted, you see. I could go either way.

Barnes Arico is already arguably the best coach in Michigan women's basketball history: The first to record three 20-win seasons; first in overall winning percentage, fifth in total wins after only three seasons. Her initial season in Ann Arbor was her best, ending as it did in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The two subsequent seasons have involved the dreaded letters N - I - T, and you can see from the table below her somewhat checkered results:

Those conference records? A whole lot of blah. The tournament results from those three seasons: 2nd round of the NCAA tournament; 3rd round of the NIT; Final Four of the NIT.

There are teams in the Big Ten that would love those results (coughcoughWISCONSINcoughcough) and Barnes Arico's credentials are certainly what you want in a coach: Four NCAA tournament appearances with St. John's from 2005 to 2012, including a trip to the Sweet Sixteen; and she's served as an assistant coach for U.S.A. basketball the last two seasons, a tenure which included a gold medal this summer at the U-19 FIBA World Championships.

But ultimately, here's the best argument I can make for extending Kim Barnes Arico.

Her first (dismal) three years at St. John's. After that, she made a postseason tournament six out of the next seven years, including four NCAA tournaments and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. If she can improve as much after her first three years at Michigan, the Wolverines will be in great shape.

So: Is she good? No good? Does she just need more time? We're a democracy at BTPowerhouse, and we want to hear from you! Let us know in the comments how you voted and why.