UTSA Director of Athletics Lynn Hickey announced that head men’s basketball coach Brooks Thompson has signed a contract extension through the 2016-17 season. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“We are very appreciative of the job Brooks has done for this program,” Hickey said. “When he arrived, he was faced with a tremendous challenge and he and his staff have turned things around both on and off the court. When you look at the things he has done with our APR and graduation rate and then see the quality and high character of the student-athletes he has brought to UTSA, we wanted to show support in return. Our recent conference moves have created another tremendous challenge for men’s basketball and this extension provides stability that is deserved as we enter a very competitive league in Conference USA.”
In Thompson’s seven years in the Alamo City, UTSA has registered the school’s first-ever NCAA postseason victory in any sport, captured one league championship, made two conference tournament title game appearances and recorded the most successful four-year stretch (76 wins) in two decades. More than 20 school records have fallen under his watch, while nine players have earned all-conference honors and three have been tabbed league freshman of the year (Devin Gibson, 2008; Melvin Johnson III, 2010; Jeromie Hill, 2011).
The Roadrunners also have taken care of business in the classroom. UTSA has collected eight league all-academic certificates under Thompson, including Southland Conference Student-Athlete of the Year honorees in Gibson (2010, ’11) and Hill (2012). Kurt Attaway garnered Academic All-District accolades in 2007. Additionally, the program’s Academic Progress Rate (APR) has improved significantly since Thompson’s arrival, jumping from an 818 for the season prior to his arrival to a 945 in the last report. Thompson also has placed a strong emphasis on graduating players, as more than 80 percent of his student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility at UTSA have earned their undergraduate degree.
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