Crowley Signs Long-Term Extension

Coming off the most successful season in St. Bonaventure women's basketball history, Athletic Director Steve Watson announced on Monday that head coach Jim Crowley has signed a long-term extension to remain at St. Bonaventure.

Specifics of the deal will not be disclosed, but the latest extension secures Crowley through the end of the 2018-19 season. Last June, Crowley signed an extension through the end of the 2016-17 campaign.

Crowley guided the Bonnies to the program's first NCAA Tournament berth this past year, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to eventual national runner-up Notre Dame.

"We are pleased to have Jim remain at St. Bonaventure," Watson said. "This extension represents our commitment to him and likewise him to us. Jim has built a program which represents our University well on the court, on campus, in the classroom and in the community. We anticipate continued success under his guidance and leadership."

A Binghamton-area native, Crowley was named ESPN.com's National Coach of the Year and Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in pacing Bona to a first-place A-10 finish after being predicted to close the year in sixth place in preseason voting.

"I'm honored the University has made this commitment to our program, staff and to me," Crowley said. "We are all very excited about the future of our program, and this certainly adds to our enthusiasm. The campus and local communities are very special places and I'm thankful that I will be able to continue coaching here."

The Bonnies closed this past season with a 31-4 record, winning the A-10 regular-season title with a perfect 14-0 mark. With an enrollment of just 2,000, Bonaventure became the second-smallest school to reach the Sweet Sixteen (Cheyney State, 1980s), and among active Division I members it is the smallest ever to reach that round. Over the last four years, Crowley has led SBU to a 98-37 record, including four postseason trips.

Crowley and his staff lose four seniors off this year's team, but a quintet of high school seniors have already committed to join the program beginning in the 2012-13 season.

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