University of Portland Doug & Gwen Edwards Director of Women’s Basketball Michael Meek has signed a multi-year contract extension to stay with the Pilots.
“My family and I are thrilled about the opportunity to continue our journey with the Portland Pilots family,” Meek said. “A special thanks to Scott Leykam, Karen Peters and Dr. Robert Kelly for their unwavering support of our coaching staff and women’s basketball team. We are excited about our current team, their efforts on the court and in the classroom and the future of the Pilot Women’s Basketball. Thank you to all our amazing fans for your ongoing support. Go Pilots!”
“Coach Meek has not only put together a championship-contending team year in and year out, but also has created a positive culture that values a winning mindset both on and off the court,” Vice President of Athletics Scott Leykam said. “Mike has taken Portland basketball to new heights through his commitment to developing student-athletes as both players and people. We’re ecstatic to have him continue leading the Pilots.”
Meek came to Portland ahead of the 2019-20 season after a highly successful tenure at George Fox University. In his first season with the Pilots, he helped guide the team to a historic turnaround. After being picked to finish last in the conference, the Pilots posted a 21-11 record, finishing fourth in the WCC. He went on to lead the Pilots to the 2020 WCC Tournament Championship, defeating the San Diego Toreros for their first title since 1994 and their first tournament championship since 1997.
Despite qualifying for the first time since 1997, the Pilots did not play in the 2020 NCAA Tournament due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, the Pilots have gone on to play postseason basketball every year, playing in the Women’s Basketball Invitational in 2021 and the Women’s National Invitational Tournament in 2022. They advanced to the championship of the WBI and the second round of the WNIT for the first time in program history both years.
The last two seasons, the Pilots once again have been on top of the West Coast Conference, winning the WCC Tournament Championship in 2023 and 2024 to make it three championships in five seasons. They became the first non-Gonzaga school to win back-to-back WCC Tournament championships since 2003 this past season. The Pilots played in their first NCAA Tournament game since 1997 in 2023 – a year where they broke a program record for wins in conference play with 15 – taking on the Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the tournament down in Los Angeles. This past season, along with finishing 21-13 overall for their fourth season in five years with at least 20 wins and their third WCC Championship title, the Pilots played the Kansas State Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Manhattan, Kansas. He’s posted a 99-57 record during his five seasons with Portland.
