Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Western Michigan, head coach Steve Hawkins agree to six-year contract

Steve Hawkins

Western Michigan head coach Steve Hawkins speaks during a news conference for the NCAA college basketball tournament Wednesday, March 19, 2014, in Buffalo, N.Y. Western Michigan will face Syracuse on Thursday. (AP Photo/Nick LoVerde)

AP

Nearly three months after leading his program to a MAC tournament title and a spot in the 2014 NCAA tournament field, Western Michigan head coach Steve Hawkins has been rewarded with a new six-year contract. The news was announced by the school Thursday morning, and the new deal bumps Hawkins’ annual base salary up to $225,000.

“I am proud of the things we have accomplished here at the University, but there is still work to do as we build for the future,” Hawkins said in the school release. “This new contract will allow me and the rest of my staff to continue to diligently work for the future of the program both on the court and in the community during an important time.”

WMU’s NCAA tournament appearance this spring was the program’s second under Hawkins, and during his tenure in Kalamazoo the Broncos have won nearly 57 percent of their games. Last season WMU finished with a record of 23-10, winning 14 of their 18 regular season MAC contests.

Unfortunately for Western Michigan they’ll have to account for the loss of their top two scorers from last season’s team, with guard David Brown (19.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and center Shayne Whittington (16.1, 8.9, 1.5 bpg) out of eligibility. However forward Connar Tava, who posted averages of 11.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 2013-14, will be back for his junior season.

Follow @raphiellej