Story: Alex Allard, APSU Assistant Director of Athletics Communications
After winning the first Atlantic Sun Conference Championship in program history during the team’s most successful season in nearly two decades, Austin Peay State University head basketball coach Corey Gipson agreed to a contract extension through the 2029-30 season, Austin Peay Director of Athletics Jordan Harmon announced Friday.
“It is a great time to be a Gov, as we announce that Austin Peay alumnus Corey Gipson will remain our head basketball coach for years to come,” said Harmon. “In his three years at the helm of Governors basketball, Corey has not only established a winning culture and brought a championship back to Clarksville, but he has revitalized the Clarksville, Montgomery County, and Fort Campbell communities. I also would like to thank his wife April and their children Jordan, Tanner and Frankie for their unwavering support of Austin Peay. Corey is a proven leader, a winner, and an influential part of what it means to be a Governor. I look forward to Clarksville’s Hometown Basketball Team competing for and winning more championships!”
A two-time Austin Peay graduate, Gipson led the Governors to a 2026 Atlantic Sun Conference Men’s Basketball Regular-Season Championship. It is the program’s first championship since its 2016 OVC Tournament title and the first regular-season championship since 2008. In leading the Govs to the ASUN Regular-Season title, Gipson became just the second Austin Peay alumnus to lead the Govs to a conference title and the first since George Fisher and the Govs won the 1963 Volunteer State Athletic Conference championship in the season prior to Austin Peay being elevated to Division I.
“Corey Gipson has done an outstanding job leading our men’s basketball program and representing the values of Austin Peay,” said Licari. “As an Austin Peay alumnus, he understands what this university and this community mean, and he has built a program that reflects that pride. Corey has established a culture of excellence, brought a championship back to Clarksville, and energized our campus and surrounding communities. We are proud to see the continued growth of our basketball program under his leadership and look forward to the success that lies ahead for Austin Peay.”
Gipson led the Governors to a 22-9 record and 15-3 mark in ASUN Conference play last season. The 22 total wins are tied for the most since the 2007-08 campaign, while the Govs’ 15 conference wins are the most since that 2007-08 team won 16 games during OVC play. The Governors’ 21 regular-season wins also are tied for the most since the 1976-77 season.
Austin Peay earned a record six ASUN postseason honors following its historic 2025-26 campaign, with Collin Parker being the first Governor to be tabbed the ASUN Newcomer of the Year and a First Team All-ASUN selection, Zyree Collins earning ASUN Freshman of the Year honors and to the Third Team All-ASUN recognition, and Rashaud Marshall garnering Second Team All-ASUN merit.
For the second time in three seasons, Gipson was named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award, which is presented to the top minority head coach in Division I, while also being named a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award, given to the top mid-major coach in college basketball.
Last season, the Governors resided in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 ranking for the final four weeks of the regular season – its first appearance in the poll since 2020 – and reached as high as No. 14 in the poll, which was the highest of any team in the ASUN Conference during the 2025-26 season.
Austin Peay dropped just one game from Dec. 12 to Feb. 21, marking the first time the Govs have won 16 games in a 17-game span since Gipson’s senior season at Austin Peay in 2003-04. During its 16-game stretch, APSU had a 10-game winning streak from Jan. 22-Feb. 21, which is tied for the program’s longest winning streak since a 14-game stretch during the aforementioned 2003-04 season.
The Governors posted the best season on Gary Mathews Court at F&M Bank Arena to date, going 12-1 on its home hardwood, with an average margin of victory of 22.0 points per game. APSU also posted the top two attendances in facility history during wins against North Alabama and Lipscomb in early February.
Gipson became just the third head coach in the program’s 95-year history to win 50-plus games by the end of his third season, with his 55-career victories already ranking seventh all-time. His 33-career conference wins also are fourth all-time, while his 18.3 wins per season are second.
Off the court, the Governors have set the team grade-point average each of the last two years and recorded over 400 community service in the past year.
