Hofstra University Director of Athletics Rick Cole Jr. announced today a contract extension for Pride Head Men’s Basketball Joe Mihalich. The new extension will take Mihalich through the 2023-24 season.
“We are thrilled to make today’s announcement about Coach Mihalich,” commented Cole Jr. “Joe has been a guiding force in the success of our men’s basketball program since arriving on campus six years ago. I am proud of the student-athletes that his program recruits to represent Hofstra University on and off the court and I know the future is extremely bright with Coach Mihalich at the helm.”
“I can not thank Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz and Director of Athletics Rick Cole Jr. enough for the dedication they continue to show to our men’s basketball program,” stated Mihalich. “Hofstra is a special place and one I am extremely proud to work at every day. Over the past six years I have learned how incredible the Hofstra community is and we look forward to getting back on the court soon!”
Mihalich led Hofstra to a school-record 27 wins this past season and the Pride advanced to the National Invitation Tournament. Mihalich has guided Hofstra to 115 wins over his six seasons in Hempstead and a total of 380 wins during his 21 seasons as a collegiate head coach. He has averaged 21 victories per season over the last five years in Hempstead.
During the magical 2018-19 season, Mihalich led the Pride to the first-ever outright regular season Colonial Athletic Association crown in program history and Hofstra had a spectacular 16-game win streak along the way. He was named the CAA Coach of the Year for his efforts, becoming the first Hofstra coach to earn that honor since the Pride joined the CAA in 2001-02.
He also earned a slew of other coaching accolades as he was named the United States Basketball Writers Association District II Coach of the Year, the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 10 Coach of the Year and a finalist for the College Insider’s Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award and the Hugh Durham Coach of the Year Award.
Mihalich, who was the fifth quickest Hofstra coach to reach 100 Pride wins, ranks sixth in program history in victories. He is seven behind Jay Wright’s 122.
Mihalich’s strong ability to recruit talented student-athletes has seen Hofstra capture three Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year awards during his six years in Hempstead as Juan’ya Green won it in 2015-16 and Justin Wright-Foreman captured the award in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
In six seasons at Hofstra, Mihalich has engineered a masterful revitalization of the Pride Basketball program as he took over a program coming off a seven-win campaign and in only three years took the team to back-to-back 20-win campaigns and consecutive postseasons appearances. The 2015-16 team went 24-10, winning the regular season CAA title and advancing to the NIT for the first time since 2007. In total, Mihalich has taken the Pride to postseason play three times during his tenure, including a pair of NIT appearances.
https://gohofstra.com/news/2019/4/1/mens-basketball-mbb-mihalich-awarded-contract-extension.aspx
