University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics David Blackburn announced a one-year contract extension for women’s basketball head coach Jim Foster today. He is now under contract through the 2021-22 season.
“We’re very thankful that Coach McCall and Coach Foster are with us,” Blackburn said. “They could be at a number of places around the nation and we’re thankful they are in Chattanooga. Both had tremendous years and Coach Foster has been here for three seasons.
“They’ve done wonders with how they’ve treated the student-athletes, recognizing what effort looks like and demanding it every day in the most respectful way. It’s not always about wins and losses.”
Foster has guided the Mocs to an 82-16 record over his three seasons with the Mocs and a 46-2 Southern Conference mark. Chattanooga has won the SoCon regular season and tournament titles in each of his three years and started the 2015-16 season with its first-ever AP Top 25 preseason ranking.
“I work with great people,” Foster said. “I thought when we got here, this school had a lot of potential in a lot of different areas. It’s going to do nothing but improve from what I can see. I think Chattanooga is a hidden gem of a city.”
Foster brought long-time friend and former assistant coach Geno Auriemma, head coach of the National Champion UConn Huskies, to the Roundhouse to play in front of more than 6,100 fans last season. That helped the Mocs continue its dominance in the SoCon for attendance, averaging 2,087 fans per game.
In his time at UTC, Chattanooga has had two SoCon Players of the Year, three Defensive Players of the Year, three SoCon Tournament MVPs and nine all-conference performers. Taylor Hall was invited to try out for the Seattle Storm and Jasmine Joyner has led the nation in blocked shots in each of the last two seasons. The Mocs have been ranked in the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll and are one of the top Mid-Major programs in the nation.
Chattanooga posted a 14-1 record at home, extending its record to 63-2 at home over the last five years, 40-2 during Foster’s tenure. While the Mocs’ 2016-17 home slate is still in the works, Notre Dame is scheduled to make its first appearance in Chattanooga.
“I like my team next year,” Foster said. “I want to see if they continue to mature. I thought we grew up a lot this year and I thought they took a lot more responsibility on their shoulders.”
Chattanooga men’s basketball head coach Matt McCall received a two-year extension to his contract. The Mocs won a single-season best 29 games, claimed their 11th regular season SoCon title and 11th SoCon Tournament title. UTC also claimed wins over Georgia, Illinois and Dayton.
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