Schilling Awarded Contract Extension
3/7/2001 12:00:00 PM | General
Ed Schilling, who just ended his fourth year as head men's basketball coach for Wright State University, has been awarded a three-year contract extension running through the 2004-05 season, WSU Athletic Director Michael Cusack announced today. No terms were released.
Schilling, originally hired on March 18, 1997, recently ended his fourth year at WSU where he led the Raiders to an 18-11, 8-6 record, their best overall record since 1992-93 and the best MCC record ever.
"Four years ago our goal was to build a solid program on a foundation of values that stresses academics, citizenship and competitiveness and Ed has built that foundation," Cusack said. "We are proud of what our student-athletes have achieved each of the last four years and we look forward to Ed's continuing to build on that foundation."
Inheriting a team that won just seven games in 1996-97, the 35-year-old has posted 10, 9, 11 and 18 wins during his tenure. Off the court, seven of his players this season were honored on Academic Recognition Night for cumulative grade point averages over 3.0 while his team posted a cumulative GPA over 2.9.
"He is the type of individual I would be happy to have my children play for, and he is the type of individual the University wants representing our basketball program," Cusack continued. "Ed has proven that you can have it on and off the court."
Among key wins for Schilling include beating Michigan State last season on December 30 at home and knocking out NCAA-tournament bound UIC in the 1998 MCC Tournament his first season. The Indiana native also has posted a 39-19 record at home, including 14-3 this season, tying the record for most wins in a season at the Nutter Center.
"First, I would like to thank Dr. Cusack and the University administration for the opportunity that they have provided me to lead this basketball program here at Wright State," Schilling said. "Additionally, I am very grateful for the confidence they have displayed by extending my employment contract for another four years. I have been so blessed to work with a team of administrators who believe in doing things the right way that I am very excited about by the opportunity to continue this relationship."
"At a time when the "win at all costs" philosophy prevails in college athletics, WSU is dedicated to helping young people be winners on and off the floor," Schilling continued. "Although we have made significant strides in these areas in the past four years, we are certainly not satisfied with our accomplishments. I firmly believe that we have yet to maximize the academic and athletic potentials of the young men in our program. We have set high goals for WSU basketball and this contract extension will enable us to continue striving to attain those goals."
Five WSU players have received 11 post-season honors during the past four years, including two Newcomers of the Year.
Before coming to Wright State, Schilling was an assistant coach with the New Jersey Nets and University of Massachusetts, both under head coach John Calipari. At UMass, he helped guide the Minutemen to a Final Four appearance in 1996. He and his wife, Shawn, have a daughter, Christiana, and a son, Edmund Jr.
He was one of the youngest high school head coaches in the nation as he spent seven years in the trenches in Indiana. He spent his college days dishing assists to current L.A. Laker Ron Harper. His publications include Guard Play (1995) and Five-Star Basketball (1993, 1994) as well as videos such as Dynamic Ballhandling and Workout (1996) and Buddy Ball (1998). Besides his own summer camps at Wright State, he was a coach and lecturer at the famous Five-Star
Camps for 11 years.
