Maine coach Tim Whitehead, set to enter the final year of his contract, will instead receive a three-year extension, the Portland Press Herald reported.
Whitehead is 275-219-47 in 13 seasons as a head coach, the past nine of them with the Black Bears.
“I evaluated the situation and with him coming into the final year of his contract, I looked at the competitive situation of the team,” Maine athletic director Blake James told the newspaper. “There’s no one that wants to win more than Tim.”
Whitehead has led Maine to four Frozen Fours (2002, 2004, 2006, 2007), but the Black Bears haven’t appeared in the NCAA tournament since 2007.
They followed two losing seasons with a 19-17-3 campaign last season.
