HOUSTON – HBU and head basketball coach
Ron Cottrell have agreed to a three-year contract extension through the 2018-19 academic year, Director of Athletics
Steve Moniaci announced on Monday afternoon.
"Coach Cottrell's record speaks for itself and he is someone whose integrity and beliefs obviously align perfectly with who we are as an institution," Moniaci said. "He is developing a program that can successfully compete for Southland Conference championships and one we continue to be proud of. Additionally, we know we can rely on his years of administrative experience to assist in guiding our entire athletic department."
Cottrell, who also serves as assistant athletic director, is currently in his 25th season at the helm of the men's basketball program and is the eighth-longest tenured among NCAA Division I head coaches. He is the Huskies' all-time winningest basketball coach with a career record of 441-340.
"I am very grateful and honored by the confidence and faith Dr. Robert B. Sloan and
Steve Moniaci have shown in me with this contract extension.
"We look forward to continuing to build this program the right way with high-character student-athletes who graduate and compete for Southland Conference championships."
Cottrell led the Huskies back to the NCAA Division I ranks after 16 seasons building a perennial power at the NAIA Division I level, and now leads them in their third season in the Southland Conference where they are off to a 1-0 start with a 99-73 victory over Northwestern State this past Saturday.
The Huskies had at least one basketball player receive All-America honors each season during a span of 13 seasons and Cottrell has coached athletes to All-America accolades 20 times, including the 2002-03 Basketball Times NAIA National Player of the Year, Rod Nealy. In addition, HBU has recipients of All-Conference honors 39 times under Cottrell.
In conjunction with the Huskies' on-court success, Cottrell stresses excellence in the classroom as well. For his tenure, he holds an 85 percent graduation rate, as six players have received Academic All-America honors and 53 have garnered Academic All-Conference accolades. Cottrell was named Red River Athletic Conference Coach of the Year five times. He also has twice been awarded the Houston Area High School Boys Basketball Coaches' College Coach of the Year and he received what he regards as one of his highest honors in the summer of 2006 when he was selected by USA Basketball to serve as a court coach for the gold-medal winning 18U USA team.
"HBU has been our family's home for the last 25 years. My wife, Jacque, and I love this university and the relationships we have built through the years with so many in the HBU family.
The support we have received from the students, alumni, faculty, staff, administration and the Houston area community as a whole has meant the world to us and has helped our basketball program be so successful through the years.
Our entire men's basketball staff is very excited about the future of our university and our basketball program."
Cottrell's extension was announced along with six other head coaches –
Jared Moon (baseball ),
Mary-Ellen Hall (softball),
Misty Jones (women's soccer),
Steve Jones (men's soccer),
Theresa Fuqua (track & field/cross country) and
David Shuster (men's and women's golf). The other three head coaches –
Vic Shealy (football),
Donna Finnie (women's basketball) and
Trent Herman (volleyball/beach volleyball) – each received extensions last year.
Specific terms of coaches' contracts at HBU are not made available for public record.
