Head Men's Basketball Coach Preston Spradlin Awarded Contract Extension Through 2022-23

Morehead State head men's basketball coachhas earned a contract extension through the 2022-23 season.Spradlin, now in his third full season as head coach after one season as the interim head coach, is thrilled to be afforded the opportunity to continue to build a first-class program."I want to thank President (Jay) Morgan and (Interim Director of Athletics)for the opportunity to continue to execute the plan put into place when we started a couple of years ago," he said. "It allows us stability in our recruiting and to continue to build our program with a commitment to doing things the right way."Spradlin led the Eagles to a five-game improvement in 2018-19, finishing in fifth place in the OVC in one of the toughest and most competitive seasons in history for the conference. MSU also won an OVC Tournament game. In addition, Morehead State's RPI increased 83 spots from 2017-18 to 2018-19, and no other OVC school made a more substantial improvement in the final standings than the Eagles (from 12th to 5th)."We are excited to make this commitment to Coach Spradlin and his staff," Gordon said. "Building a first-class program with integrity and a commitment to academic excellence is a priority for Morehead State, and we have no doubt that Preston is the right person to lead our program in that manner."In Spradlin's time leading the program, four Eagles have been named to a postseason All-OVC Team (Xavier Moon, DeJuan Marrero,and)."This extension is a testament to the work our staff and players have put in, and we are thankful to continue working to represent this university and our community on a national stage as we work tirelessly to compete for championships."Spradlin officially took on the interim head coaching position on Dec. 15, 2016, nine games into the 2016-17 season after the Eagles opened with a 2-7 record. He then guided Morehead State to a 12-9 record the rest of the way and a 10-6 mark in OVC play, which ranked second in the league. At the conclusion of the season, he finished second in OVC Coach of the Year voting.On March 16, 2017, he was named the 14th men's basketball head coach in program history.Spradlin came to Morehead State for the 2014-15 season after five seasons at the University of Kentucky. He spent two campaigns (2009-11) as a graduate assistant with the Wildcats before three years as the assistant director of operations (2011-14).Spradlin earned a bachelor's degree in history from Alice Lloyd (Ky.) in 2009 and master's degree in kinesiology and health promotion, with a sports leadership emphasis, from Kentucky in 2011. He was a four-year men's basketball letterwinner for Alice Lloyd from 2005-09.Spradlin, a 2005 graduate of Betsy Layne High School (Ky.), is married to his wife Misty. The couple has one son, Bentley, and one daughter, Aubrey.