Georgia's Fox receives two-year extension

photo University of Georgia coaches Mark Fox, left, and Mark Richt sign autographs for Gregory and Gwen Raines during UGA Day at the Colonnade in Ringgold, Ga., in this 2013 photo.

The University of Georgia announced Wednesday that men's basketball coach Mark Fox will receive a two-year extension that will keep him under contract through the 2018 season.

Fox guided the Bulldogs to a 20-14 record this past season, which ended with a second-round home loss to Louisiana Tech in the NIT. They were 12-6 in Southeastern Conference games, which resulted in a second-place tie with Kentucky, which is in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.

The Bulldogs went 15-17 in 2012 and in '13.

"The improvement of our team made throughout the 2013-14 season was very encouraging," Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said in a statement. "With the loss of only one starter, the expectations for the coming season will be very high. Mark and I discussed not only this past season, but spent the majority of our time focused on the next four-year period.

"We discussed our recruiting plans, scheduling, academic progress and continued development of our program moving forward, and Mark fully recognizes the expectations in these key areas."

The Bulldogs are 85-77 in Fox's five seasons, with their lone NCAA tournament appearance occurring in his second season in 2011. That 21-12 team was headed by the tandem of Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie, players Fox inherited from predecessor Dennis Felton.

After the 2011 NCAA appearance, Fox received a $400,000 raise to $1.7 million. No financial terms were released Wednesday along with the extension.

"From day one, we have worked to establish basketball success within the SEC, academic success in the graduation of our players, and developing a culture where we remain consistently successful," Fox said. "As we move forward and continue to recruit and develop young men who can compete for championships, this is a great step to aid in the process."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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