New University of Louisville basketball assistant coach Kenny Johnson has a rare clause in his contract: a buyout.

Johnson, who previously coached at Indiana, will make $375,000 a year at U of L, with a contract that runs through June 2016.

If he leaves before July 1, 2015, Johnson or his next employer would owe U of L a buyout worth $150,000.

Buyout clauses are much more common among head coaches, and the presence of one in Johnson’s contract shows how important his hire as a recruiting guru and assistant coach is to U of L.

Johnson toyed with an offer to become an assistant coach at his alma mater, Maryland, before accepting U of L coach Rick Pitino’s offer to join his staff in April. He spent two years on Tom Crean’s staff at Indiana.

Johnson replaces Kevin Keatts, who left Louisville to become the head coach at UNC Wilmington.

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