Contract Extended for Stony Brook Basketball Coach

Stony Brook loves men's basketball coach Steve Pikiell so much that the school has extended his contract another year, through 2017-18, athletic director Jim Fiore announced Thursday.

Fiore said that Pikiell, who has been with the team eight years so far, "represents the university exactly the way that we want to be represented."

“He has guided our men’s basketball program on an unprecedented upward trajectory of success both on the court and in the classroom," Fiore said in a statement. "Equally as important, he has represented Stony Brook with unparalleled class and integrity. For the continued success of our program, it is important to have Steve Pikiell as our men’s basketball coach."

Under Pikiell's leadership, Stony Brook won a national postseason game for the first time in its history this past year, and led his team to a program-best 25 wins in its Division I history. In 2010, he coached the team to its first-ever America East championship. Since that year, his team has gone 62-35. This past year, he won the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year Award.

Pikiell also recently donated $50,000 back to the university, including a $25,000 donation to the men’s basketball program and a $25,000 donation to Stony Brook Long Island Children’s Hospital.

"I’m honored to work at Stony Brook University, honored to recruit bright student-athletes who contribute more than just wins and losses and honored to be a member of this community that has truly rallied around this university," Pikiell said in a statement. "We will continue to do everything we can to sustain a men’s basketball program that Stony Brook University, the alumni and the community are proud to support.”