Kansas State head women’s basketball coach Jeff Mittie, just the second coach in program history to guide the Wildcats to consecutive postseason appearances in the first two seasons, has signed a contract amendment granting him an extension through the 2021-22 season, K-State Athletics Director John Currie has announced.

During the span of the new six-year deal, which was approved by the K-State Athletics, Inc., Board of Directors, Mittie will earn salary and retention bonuses totaling $3.56 million with annual increases of $25,000 to his base pay, which jumps to $475,000 in 2016-17. He continues to have the ability to earn annual performance bonuses as well.

“Coach Mittie has done a great job of reinvigorating our women’s basketball program, and I believe he and his excellent staff are well on their way to returning K-State to the highest level of competition, both in the Big 12 and nationally,” said Currie. “While we have advanced to the postseason in each of his first two seasons and seen excitement growing among our fans as evidenced by our season ticket sales and attendance increases, the most important thing to me is seeing the competitive spirit, camaraderie and improvement within our team.”

Mittie is 38-27 (.585) in two seasons with the Wildcats, this year taking the Cats back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2012, defeating George Washington before bowing out to No. 1 seed South Carolina in the round of 32.  He guided the squad to an eight-game win total improvement and a second-round WNIT appearance in his first season in 2014-15 and is the second coach in K-State women’s basketball history (Lynn Hickey) to lead the program to consecutive postseason appearances in their first two seasons, while he has improved the Wildcats’ Big 12 win total each season after securing seven victories in 2014-15 and eight last season.

“We have made good progress in our two years here, and we are excited about our team for next year,” stated Mittie. “Shanna and I have enjoyed the Manhattan community and being a part of the K-State family. We appreciate John Currie, Jill Shields and the administrative team and their continued support of our women’s basketball program as well as the great K-State fans across the region that make this one of the great women’s basketball jobs in the country.”

Mittie, introduced as the ninth head women’s basketball coach in K-State history before the 2014-15 season, has achieved an overall record of 492-262 (.653) in his previous 24 years as a head coach, which includes stops at Missouri Western, Arkansas State and TCU. His .653 career winning percentage ranks among the top-50 active Division I head coaches and 22nd among active coaches with 20 or more years experience.

In his first season in Manhattan in 2014-15, Mittie guided the program to an overall record of 19-14 and a second-round appearance in the Postseason WNIT. The eight-win improvement from the previous season was the third-highest improvement from one season to the next in program history.

Mittie helped develop and reshape K-State’s defense in his first season, as the Wildcats finished the season ranked 44th in the nation in scoring defense (58.2 ppg allowed), 12th in steals (11.3 spg) and 42nd in blocked shots (4.7 bpg). K-State’s defense ranked first in the Big 12 in steals, second in scoring defense and third in blocked shots.

K-State was recognized for its quick turnaround, as Breanna Lewis was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team and Ashia Woods was named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention recipient. In addition to her All-Big 12 honor, Lewis became the first player in program history to be selected to the All-Big 12 Defensive Team, as she shattered the school record for blocks in a season with a career-high 97 and set a career-high with 50 steals under Mittie’s tutelage.

In the 2015-16 season, the Wildcats were selected for the 14th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and first since the 2011-12 season. K-State ended the season with a 19-13 overall record, which included a 56-51 win over George Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

For their efforts on the floor in 2015-16, Lewis was named K-State’s first All-Big 12 First Team selection since the 2012-13 season and tallied her second straight All-Big 12 Defensive Team honor, while Kindred Wesemann was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team after her career year.

The Wildcats have also been solid in the classroom during Mittie’s first two seasons, charting an APR score of .991 in the latest report, while K-State has garnered 11 Academic All-Big 12 selections including nine first team selections under Mittie’s watch.

For the 2016-17 season, K-State returns nine letter winners from the 2015-16 squad and welcome in five newcomers. The Wildcats will be led into the 2016-17 season by Lewis (16.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 2.6 bpg) and Wesemann (12.1 ppg, 3.3 apg). Overall, K-State returns 75 percent of its scoring and assists and 87 percent of its rebounding.

Under Mittie, Kansas State has ranked among the top-25 in the nation in attendance as the Wildcats were 21st in the nation in average attendance in 2015-16 and 18th in total attendance. K-State’s season ticket numbers have increased incrementally in the first two season of Mittie’s tenure, including a 413-percent increase in first-day season ticket renewals prior to the 2015-16 season.

K-State women’s basketball season tickets for the 2016-17 season will be available for purchase beginning on June 8. For more information, contact the K-State Athletics Ticket Office by calling 1-800-221-CATS or visit www.kstatesports.com/tickets.

The 2016 non-conference home schedule will include visits from three 2016 NCAA Tournament opponents: defending national champion Connecticut, Auburn as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge and Princeton.

http://www.kstatesports.com/news/mittie-s-strong-start-at-k-state-nets-contract-extension-05-03-2016

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