March 5, 2009

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The University of Richmond has reached an agreement with men's basketball coach Chris Mooney and women's basketball coach Michael Shafer on contract extensions.

"Today we are announcing contract extensions for both our men's and women's basketball coaches," announced Athletic Director Jim Miller. "Due to University guidelines, I will not be discussing the terms or details of these agreements.

"With respect to men's and women's basketball, our goals remain the same. We expect to consistently and successfully compete for the Atlantic 10 championship and earn post-season opportunities that will enable the University of Richmond to be recognized nationally as fielding quality basketball programs.

"These contract extensions are based on the recognition that we have made significant progress and are well-positioned to accomplish these objectives under Coach Mooney's and Coach Shafer's leadership."

Mooney, 36, is in his fourth year as head coach of the men's program.

"I am thrilled to be at Richmond and I am very grateful for the support from Jim Miller, Dr. Ayers and the administration," said Mooney. "We feel the men's basketball program is in a great position going forward. We have good players, who are good people and good students as well. We're excited about the future of Richmond basketball."

The Spiders are 16-14, 8-7 in the Atlantic 10, with one regular season contest and post-season play remaining. In the past two years, Richmond has 32 wins, an eleven-game improvement from Mooney's first two seasons, when he inherited a roster with no returning guards and only two players averaging 15 minutes per game.

Shafer, 37, is in his fourth year as head coach of the women's program.

"I am pleased and excited that both the athletic department and the University are confident and pleased with the direction the program is heading," said Shafer. "It is extremely flattering to be offered an extension. I understand that this would not be possible if it were not for the hard work of our players and staff. Our success has also been due, in large part, to the commitment to success from the athletic department. I am thankful for the opportunity to continue to grow the program and look forward to continued success."

The Spiders finished the regular season 21-8, the sixth best record in program history. With a 9-5 conference record, Richmond earned the number four seed and a first round bye in the Atlantic 10 tournament, which begins Friday in Charlotte. Shafer has guided the program to a seven-game improvement from last season and the first 20-win campaign since 2004-05.