Jul 18, 2007, 19:20 GMT
Knoxville, TN - Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl has agreed to a one-year contract extension that will keep him with the Volunteers through the 2012-13 season.
The new agreement, which has yet to be finalized, increases Pearl's annual total compensation package to $1.3 million for the 2007-08 season, with $100,000 increases in each of the following five years.
'Not only is Coach Pearl one of the very best coaches in the nation, but more importantly, he has become a great ambassador for our university during his tenure at Tennessee,' said school president Dr. John Petersen.
Pearl has spent just two seasons at Tennessee, but has already built the program into one of the best in the SEC. The Volunteers were 22-8 in his first season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Last season's squad finished 24-11 and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, losing to eventual national runner-up Ohio State.
'The University of Tennessee has so much to offer -- from great academic programs to incredible athletic resources to the most passionate fans in the country,' said Pearl. 'I look forward to being the men's basketball coach at Tennessee for many more years.'
Pearl took over at Tennessee after four successful seasons at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He was 86-38 with the Panthers, leading the Horizon League school to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths.
Before his run at UWM, Pearl spent nine years at Division II Southern Indiana, compiling a 231-46 record. He also spent 14 years as an assistant at Stanford, Boston College and Iowa before taking over at Southern Indiana in 1992.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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