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ARMY BASKETBALL COACHES REACH CONTRACT EXTENSIONS

A.M. Allan

General of the Army
Gold Member
Mar 9, 2006
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Zach Spiker and Dave Magarity Sign Extensions Through 2018

WEST POINT, N.Y. Army Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan announced today that the U.S. Military Academy has agreed to contract extensions for men's basketball coach Zach Spiker and women's basketball coach Dave Magarity. Terms of the agreements were not announced, but the new pacts will keep both coaches on the Army sideline through the 2017-18 season.
"This is a great day for the future of basketball at West Point," Corrigan said. "Zach and Dave have done tremendous jobs developing their respective programs, and today's announcement ensures the continuity and stability of both teams for years to come. The men's and women's teams achieved at record levels last year, and with the caliber of returning players and recruiting success, the future is bright. We strongly believe that we have the right coaches in place to mentor our cadets and for our programs to compete for Patriot League championships."

Spiker is in his fifth season at West Point. The 2013 Patriot League Coach of the Year presided over Army's first winning season in 28 years (16-15) and the Black Knights' first winning conference season in the Patriot League era (8-6). Spiker was named a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top mid-major coach. He was one of only seven coaches to receive at least one vote for the Associated Press National Coach of the Year honor.

Spiker is one of only four Army coaches to win at least 50 games in their first four seasons, joining Bobby Knight, Mike Krzyzewski and George Hunter in the exclusive club. His four-year conference win total is higher than any of Army's previous coaches since joining the Patriot League in 1990. The Black Knights have captured "Star Game" victories versus arch-rival Navy in three of his first four seasons, including the last two. He is the first coach to take home the Alumni Trophy in consecutive seasons since a three-year run by Krzyzewski from 1976-78.

"Both my family and staff are extremely humbled to have the opportunity to continue mentoring and coaching our cadet-athletes," Spiker said. "We are very grateful for the support shown by Mr. Corrigan, his executive staff and the Academy's leadership team. Coaching at West Point is a tremendous honor, and we are excited for the chance to be here for years to come."

Magarity is in his eighth season as the head coach of Army women's basketball. He earned the 2013 Patriot League Coach of the Year award after guiding the Black Knights to the conference regular-season crown, including two victories versus Navy. Army made the program's first WNIT appearance in 2013 while authoring the program's second-best turnaround in Division I history by increasing its win total from the previous year by eight games. The 22-9 Black Knights made conference history by sweeping all four of the league's major awards and set program standards for least number of turnovers and defensive scoring average.

Magarity is Army's all-time leader in Division I victories with a 121-88 record. His career record stands at 434-423 in 30 years as both a men's and women's coach at the Division I level.

"I'm now entering my 31st year as a head coach and I could not be happier," said Magarity. "To have the continued support of Mr. Corrigan and the administration means a lot to me and this program. Coming off the year we had, I'm excited to have the opportunity to continue to coach at West Point. I feel we're heading in the right direction towards an NCAA Tournament berth, and I owe a lot of that to the terrific job our coaching staff has done. Associate head coach Colleen Mullen and all of our assistants have done an amazing job recruiting which plays an integral part in exceeding expectations and accomplishing our goals."

Both programs return key players from the 2012-13 rosters, including Men's Patriot League Rookie of the Year Kyle Wilson and Women's Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year Kelsey Minato. The men open the season on Nov. 8 versus Air Force, while the women begin their campaign on Nov. 11 at St. Francis (N.Y.).

This post was edited on 8/20 1:27 PM by A.M. Allan
 
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