douglass gets extension

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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

UC Irvine's Pat Douglass Gets
Big Contract Extension--(June 7, 2001)

The Anteaters may or may not be losing one of the Big West's top scorers in Jerry Green to the NBA (depending on whether he withdraws his name before June 20), but they won't be losing head coach Pat Douglass any time soon. Douglass signed a four year contract extension today which will extend his presence at Irvine until the 2007-2008 season. To give you an idea of how long this extension runs, think of it this way: This year's incoming high school freshmen (class of 2005) will be entering their junior year in college by the time Douglass has to think about his contract again. . . Anyway, here's the official press release from UC Irvine.

UC IRVINE MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH
PAT DOUGLASS RECEIVES 4-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION

IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine men's basketball coach Pat Douglass has received a four-year contract extension that will carry through the 2007-08 season.

Douglass, who has been at UC Irvine for four years, led the Anteaters to a 25-5 overall record and the school's first Big West Conference title in men's basketball as UCI finished with a 15-1 mark in conference play. The team set a school record for single-season wins and advanced to the National Invitation Tournament, losing by four points in the first round at Tulsa, the eventual NIT champion. Douglass, who has guided the Anteaters to a 39-19 record the last two seasons, was named Big West Conference Coach of the Year and NABC District 15 Coach of the Year.

"Pat has established this program on solid ground," Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said. "This past year brought great excitement and exposure to our campus, and is indicative of the both the hard work that Pat and his staff provide, and the outstanding student-athletes that they have recruited into the program."

"I feel that our program has reached the level where we can be competitive on a consistent basis," Douglass said. "I appreciate the confidence and support that the administration is providing, and I am very happy to be the head coach at UC Irvine."

Douglass was hired at UC Irvine in March, 1997, after 10 seasons as the head coach at Cal State Bakersfield, where he led the Roadrunners to three NCAA Division II titles. He previously coached for six years at Eastern Montana (now Montana State-Billings) and was inducted into that school's Hall of Fame in 1999.