The University of West Georgia announced that associate athletic director and men’s basketball head coach Mike Cooney will transition full-time into an administrative role to help lead the university’s efforts to become a top-50 Division II contender.

Cooney, who led the Wolves for 11 seasons, will bring his passion and leadership efforts to his role as associate athletic director. UWG athletic director Daryl Dickey said a nationwide search is underway to fill the head basketball coaching position.

“We would like to thank Mike for his many years of service in our men’s basketball program,” Dickey said. “If you look at his 21 years with the program, there have been a lot of good times and a lot of exciting basketball to watch, and for that, we are greatly appreciative. Mike’s success as a coach and his knowledge of athletics make him a great fit for helping to lead our efforts to become one of the nation’s premier Division II programs.”

Cooney recently completed his 11th year as the Wolves’ head coach, posting a 14-14 record and earning a berth in the Gulf South Conference tournament. His finishes his tenure with an overall record of 168-148, including bids to the NCAA Division II tournament following the 2012, 2015 and 2016 seasons. Cooney’s 2016 team captured the Gulf South Conference (GSC) championship.

Prior to becoming head coach, Cooney worked 10 seasons as an assistant under former coach Ed Murphy. Before that, he served as bench coach for 608 games, winning 370. During that span, UWG posted six 20-win seasons and appeared in five NCAA tournaments. The highlight was 2002, a season that saw UWG win the GSC title and the South Region championship. That team advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the only time in the program’s history.

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