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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Mike Anderson wanted nothing more than to return home when he left Missouri for Arkansas in 2011. He is no hurry to leave.
The fourth-year coach signed a two-year contract extension Tuesday through the 2019-20 season. The former Razorbacks assistant was originally signed to a seven-year contract.
"This is the kind of commitment that confirms my decision to be the head coach at the University of Arkansas and return to a place that has been so great to me and my family," Anderson said. "I know I'm the right person for this job and I know how many people in the state of Arkansas that our program touches. We will return to NCAA tournaments and I will get the job done."
Arkansas got off to an 11-2 start this season under Anderson and is ranked No. 23. As of Monday, the Razorbacks are 70-41 under Anderson, including 60-6 at Bud Walton Arena, and their NIT selection last season was the school's first postseason appearance since 2008.
Anderson will continue to make $2.2 million annually during his two-year extension, the same salary as his original contract. His extension also includes a maximum of $200,000 in annual incentive bonuses related to academic achievement.
Last spring, six players graduated from Arkansas.
"Under his leadership, we have made substantial progress on the court," athletic director Jeff Long said. "He has firmly positioned our program to once again compete for SEC championships and return to the NCAA tournament for years to come."
Anderson, who was an assistant coach at Arkansas under Nolan Richardson for 17 seasons — including during the 1994 national championship run — is the first Razorbacks coach to win 18 or more games in each of his first three seasons.
He took over a program that had largely been mired in mediocrity since Richardson's firing in 2002, though last season's 22-12 record marked the school's first 20-win season since 2007-08. It also included a pair of wins against NCAA tournament runner-up Kentucky.
The former Alabama-Birmingham and Missouri coach has never had a losing season.
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