College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant has agreed in principle to a new five-year extension, pending finalization of a contract, through the 2022-23 season.
“Earl Grant has brought excitement and championship basketball back to the College of Charleston,” College of Charleston Athletics Director Matt Roberts said. “In just four years, he and his staff have led the Cougars to a Colonial Athletic Association Championship title and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 19 years. His student-athletes continue to excel in the classroom, on the court and in the community. It is an honor to work alongside a coach of his caliber, who is committed to comprehensive excellence. We are excited to have Earl as the leader of our program and look forward to building on this year’s success.”
This past season, Grant led the Cougars to a memorable run that included the program’s second-straight 25-win campaign, an impressive 26-8 overall record and 14-4 mark in Colonial Athletic Association play. The co-regular-season champions earned the No. 1 seed in the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship and defeated No. 2 seed Northeastern in an overtime thriller to punch the program’s first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since 1999.
“What Earl Grant has done with our men’s basketball program in four years is nothing short of remarkable,” College of Charleston President Glenn F. McConnell said. “During his tenure, Coach Grant has taken a team that was lacking in self-confidence and turned it into a powerhouse in the Colonial Athletic Association and an NCAA Tournament team. He has a great relationship with our men’s basketball student-athletes, who work hard for him and greatly respect him. We look forward to having Coach Grant at the College for many years to come.”
In addition, the Cougars went an undefeated 14-0 at home at TD Arena, won 11-straight games including 14 of their last 16 and produced four all-conference honorees in All-CAA First Team selections Joe Chealey and Grant Riller. Jarrell Brantley was also named to the All-CAA Second Team and Cameron Johnson to the CAA All-Defensive Team for the third year in a row. It also marked the first season in program history to have four 1,000-career point scorers on the roster in Chealey, Johnson, Brantley and Riller.
“I am humbled to have this amazing opportunity of continuing to lead the College of Charleston Basketball program and the young men, who commit to our standards of excellence on and off the court, in representing the College,” Grant said. “My coaching staff and I truly appreciate the commitment and support shown by President Glenn McConnell, Athletics Director Matt Roberts and the Board of Trustees. We look forward to what lies ahead and will work extremely hard to move the program to even greater heights.”
https://www.cofcsports.com/news/2018/3/23/mens-basketball-grant-agrees-to-extension-through-2022-23-season.aspx
