Haith signs 5-year extension with Hurricanes

4/7/2008 11:41 AM

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -Miami Hurricanes basketball coach Frank Haith signed a five-year contract through the 2012-13 season, a reward for leading the school to 23 wins and its first berth in the NCAA tournament since 2002.

In Haith's fourth season, the Hurricanes went 23-11 and earned only the fourth NCAA tournament victory in school history before losing in the second round to Texas.

``Frank Haith has done a tremendous job in elevating the men's basketball program into one of the premier teams in both the ACC and in the nation,'' incoming athletic director Kirby Hocutt said in a statement Monday. ``His character, dedication and relationship with his student-athletes and staff members are beyond reproach, and the University of Miami is proud to have one of the top young coaches in the nation.''

This season the Hurricanes upset Duke for their first victory against a top 5 team in nine years. Guard Jack McClinton became the first Miami player selected for the All-Atlantic Coast Conference first team.

The success came after the Hurricanes went 12-20 a year ago and were picked for last place at the preseason ACC meetings. They went 8-8 in the ACC for a fifth-place finish, the best since they joined the league in 2004. They went 14-2 at home, with the highest attendance since an on-campus arena opened five years ago.

``This contract provides stability for this program and gives my staff and I the opportunity, through our recruiting efforts, to build upon the solid foundation we have in place,'' Haith said. ``We will continue our hard work in moving this program forward.''

Haith was an assistant at Texas before coming to Miami, his first head coaching job. He's 69-60 with the Hurricanes and 26-38 in the ACC.