After their wildly improbable run into last year’s Final Four came to an end, the seniors on George Mason University’s men’s basketball team consoled themselves with thoughts of how much money their high-profile heroics might earn them as professional athletes. A year later, those hopes look naïve, according to a report by Yahoo! Sports.

Three former George Mason players — Lamar Butler, Jai Lewis, and Tony Skinn — labor in obscurity with teams in low-level international basketball leagues. But their alma mater’s basketball coach, athletics director, and president all received big raises and contract extensions in the wake of last year’s triumphs.

As a sharpshooting guard with a camera-friendly smile, Mr. Butler landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated last year. But he has struggled with his role on a team in Prostejov, Czech Republic, where language difficulties led to his accidental purchase of cat milk at a grocery store. After riding the bench, Mr. Butler tried to leave the team. He then had to return to avoid losing $28,000 of his $48,000 contract for the season.

Meanwhile, Jim Larranaga, George Mason’s head basketball coach, got a five-year contract extension that doubled his base salary, to $375,000, and a $100,000 bonus for “promotional considerations” during the Final Four. —Paul Fain