March 31, 2010

Fairfax, Va.--Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Tom O'Connor announced today that Men's Basketball Head Coach Jim Larranaga has signed a contract extension at George Mason. Larranaga is now signed through the 2015-16 season.

"Jim (Larranaga) is a tremendous basketball coach and ambassador for George Mason University," O'Connor said. "He has brought continuity to the program since his arrival developing a successful program that continues to compete at the highest level. This is recognition of how much he has done for the university as well as his loyalty."

"I am extremely grateful to both President Merten and Tom O'Connor for their continued support of our basketball program and the confidence they have shown in me during my years here at Mason," said Larranaga. "Mason is a fantastic place with outstanding leadership, and my family and I are happy to continue that special relationship."

Larranaga is George Mason's all-time leader in wins with a 246-157 record at the helm of the Patriots for the past 13 seasons. He has a career record of 443-326 and he is the CAA's all-time winningest coach with a 166-87 mark in conference games.

The Patriots have enjoyed their most successful 12-year span as they have had 12 straight winning seasons, a school record, with 237 wins over those 12 years, also a school record for a 12-year period. Mason leads the CAA in conference wins, CAA winning percentage, postseason appearances and postseason wins over that time span.

Under Larranaga, Mason has been to the postseason eight times. In 1999, Larranaga's second season, he led Mason to its second CAA title and first in 10 years. It was Mason's third-ever trip to the postseason and he was named CAA, Virginia and NABC District 4 Coach of the Year.

In 2006, Mason earned the school's first-ever at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament and the first for a CAA school in 20 years. Mason captured the imagination of the college basketball universe that March when Mason made a historic run to the Final Four. Larranaga was named Clair Bee Coach of the Year while Mason reached the national rankings for the first time in school history, finishing No. 8 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Patriots finished the season 27-8, still a school record for wins.