CONWAY, S.C. -- Coastal Carolina University has extended head men's basketball coach Pete Strickland's contract for an additional two years, CCU Athletics Director Warren Koegel announced today.
The Chanticleers are 8-7 overall, entering tomorrow's home game with Winthrop. CCU is off to its best Big South Conference start since the 1996-97 season, as the Chants are 3-1 in league play, with victories over Liberty, Birmingham-Southern and Charleston Southern.
"In evaluating all of our coaches, we look at the development of the student-athlete and how that sports program operates to help give the student-athletes a worthwhile and meaningful college experience," Koegel said. "We also evaluate the program in terms of academic progress, community involvement and the development of the students to help them in their chosen field and career. We are pleased with the progress we have made in these very important areas.
"The evaluation also looks at the overall record on the court," Koegel continued. "This is an area where improvement was needed and we have seen positive results during the past year and a half. We know that there is a need for and anticipate more improvement in the future, and we look forward to the continued success of our men's basketball team."
A native of Washington, D.C., Strickland was the 2000 Big South Conference Coach of the Year after his team went 10-18 and had the ninth most-improved mark in Division I and ranked third nationally in three-point field goal percentage. Last season, the Chanticleers posted a 13-15 mark, the most wins for the program in nine years, including two wins over NCAA Tournament teams. He coached Torrey Butler, CCU's first-ever two-time honorable mention All-American, and has had three All-Big South honorees, one Big South Rookie of the Year and three Big South All-Rookie team selections. In the classroom, of the 15 players who have completed their eligibility at CCU from 1999-2003, all 15 have earned their degrees.
"I appreciate the support and confidence that Warren Koegel and the University has given me with this," Strickland said. "I am excited about the continued opportunity to see the plan of developing this program to maturation. When I arrived, it was just a team, but it has now developed into a self-sustaining program. I believe that with everything we have to offer here, with the school and the area, we can continue to make this a successful program for years to come."
Overall for his career, Strickland has a 54-100 mark in five-plus years at the helm of the Chanticleers, and his 54 wins are the second most for a CCU coach. Prior to coming to Coastal, he had served stints as an assistant coach at Dayton, Old Dominion and VMI.
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