‘A bigger platform.’ Contract extension affords Morehead State coach room to grow.

Preston Spradlin has built a winning basketball program at Morehead State University. It has not been a quick remodeling project to flip and sell. No, Spradlin plans to move in and continue making improvements.

The Eagles announced Wednesday that Spradlin has signed a contract extension through the 2025-26 season.

Spradlin, who is 92-88 in six seasons as head coach at Morehead State, said, “It is an honor to serve our community and this university,” in a statement released by the school in which he thanked the school’s administration for its commitment to the program.

Spradlin led Morehead State to a 23-11 record and a third-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference this season. The Eagles advanced to the championship game of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament where they were defeated by in-state rival Murray State, 71-67. The previous season, Morehead State won the OVC Tournament, played in the NCAA Tournament and finished 23-8.

“Success on the court paves the way for a bigger platform to fulfill our purpose as leaders and I am excited to continue our mission of impacting the lives of our players each season,” Spradlin said in the news release. “As the landscape of college athletics continues to change, consistency has become increasingly vital to maintaining success. Our staff will continue to adjust and navigate these changes with the same integrity that we have from day one to make sure that we position our program to compete for championships for many years to come.”

Spradlin this season became only the second Morehead State coach to author back-to-back 20-plus win teams. The Eagles’ home court has become a land mine for opponents, with Morehead going 24-3 at home the past two seasons. Spradlin was named OVC Coach of the Year after the 2020-21 season, when the school won its first OVC Tournament title in a decade.

A former player and graduate of Betsy Layne High School in Floyd County and Alice Lloyd College in Knott County, Spradlin, 35, worked two seasons as a graduate assistant and three as assistant director of operations under John Calipari at Kentucky before joining Morehead State’s staff as an assistant coach.

He was promoted to interim head coach on Dec. 15, 2016, after Morehead State parted ways with Sean Woods nine games into the season. Spradlin guided the Eagles to a 12-9 record the rest of the way in his debut season as a head coach.

MSU finished 8-21, 13-20 and 13-19 in the three subsequent seasons as Spradlin put his program in place before things blossomed the past two years.

Spradlin has coached eight players who have earned First Team All-OVC honors, including Johni Broome, who was named the league’s Freshman of the Year last season and its Defensive Player of the Year this season.

“Thank you to all of the players, coaches, administrators and certainly our loyal fans whose commitment to our program are vital to our success,” Spradlin said. “It is truly a blessing to live in this community and call Morehead our home.”

This story was originally published March 30, 2022 at 10:57 AM.