Two months after she withdrew her name from consideration for the South Carolina job and decided to remain head coach of the North Carolina women's basketball team, Sylvia Hatchell has signed a contract extension that makes her one of the highest-paid women's coaches in the nation.

According to a statement released Friday by North Carolina officials, UNC's board of trustees approved a seven-year contract that commits the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame coach through 2015.

With a new contract that starts this month, Hatchell will earn an average of $780,000 per season, which includes an average base salary of $330,000, her agent John Meadows said.

Hatchell, who is on the road during one of the busiest recruiting periods, could not be reached for comment. In a statement released by the university, she offered her thoughts about continuing to lead the Tar Heels.

"Carolina is truly one of the elite programs in the NCAA and I appreciate the support we are continuing to receive from Dick Baddour, our administration and the University," she said. "I look forward to the future. ... I look forward to winning many more championships at Carolina."

Before a contract agreement was reached, UNC athletic director Dick Baddour had expressed his intention of trying to keep Hatchell and working with her on a new contract. The university had last extended her original 2002 contract in 2006, pushing her most recent base salary to $260,000, plus incentives.

Hatchell's new contract will improve her total compensation this year to $705,000 from $476,000, making her the highest paid women's basketball coach in the ACC, Meadows said.

"She's a hall of famer in the prime of her career," Baddour said. "Her teams are successful at the highest level, and her student-athletes fare well academically and in the community. We are proud of what she has accomplished and the level to which she has helped develop the game."

Hatchell, in her 22nd season with the Tar Heels and 33rd overall, guided her team to its fourth consecutive ACC championship this season. North Carolina finished 33-3 overall and reached the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament, after making back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2006 and 2007.

Hatchell's 1994 team won a national championship. The 56-year-old coach has an overall record of 784-275, including a 512-195 mark at North Carolina.

Meadows, of Ascent Sports Management, said there was no posturing by either side in the negotiation of Hatchell's contract.

"It was a good negotiation," he said. "It was fair. I think the university got what they wanted, and we did great."

Hatchell's new contract, he said, includes a base salary, supplemental income, expense income and additional income for multimedia responsibilities.

She will earn an annual base salary that starts at $310,000 and increases to $350,000 by 2015.

She will earn an annual supplemental income that starts at $50,000 and increases to $85,000 in 2015. The university will provide an expense account of $30,000 for the first three years and $40,000 for the next four.

Hatchell will earn an additional income annually of $315,000, which includes compensation from Learfield Communications Inc. and Nike.

Hatchell can also earn bonuses. She can earn a month's salary every year her team is invited to the NCAA Tournament. If they make the regional finals, she can earn an additional month's salary.

If her team maintains a graduation rate equal to or better than the university student body, she can earn another month's salary.

Meadows said the purpose of re-negotiating Hatchell's contract was to try to put her on par with the best coaches in the nation.

Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, whose team claimed a second consecutive national championship this year, makes $1.3 million and will likely renegotiate in the coming weeks. It's been reported that Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma recently signed a new five-year deal that will push his salary to $1.8 million by the end of his contract.

Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie, who completed her first season at the school, signed a five-year contract worth $500,000 per year, plus incentives. Former Duke coach Gail Goestenkors, who left to take over the Texas program, signed a contract that could pay $1 million per season.

Hatchell, her agent said, now moves into the top 10 highest paid coaches in NCAA Division I women's basketball. Before, Meadows said, she was ranked outside the top 24.

"It rewards her," he said of the new deal. "She's the third-winningest active coach in the country."