In search of stability, Morehead State does the unusual.

In a short-attention-span world, the Morehead State men’s basketball program is exercising patience.

The Eagles, coming off back-to-back losing seasons, announced Wednesday that the coach who authored those campaigns will receive a contract extension through the 2022-23 season. Terms of the new deal were not released Wednesday.

Preston Spradlin, who is 33-50 in two-plus seasons as head coach at Morehead, said he’s pleased the school’s administration recognized progress is being made.

“I want to thank President (Jay) Morgan and (Interim Director of Athletics) Jaime Gordon for the opportunity to continue to execute the plan put into place when we started a couple of years ago,” Spradlin said in a Morehead State news release. “It allows us stability in our recruiting and to continue to build our program with a commitment to doing things the right way.”

Spradlin took the head coaching reins nine games into the 2016-17 season after Morehead fired Sean Woods, and Spradlin led the Eagles to a 12-9 finish to a 14-16 season, after which he was runner-up for Ohio Valley Conference coach of the year honors. In his first full season as head coach the following year, Spradlin went 8-21. In 2018-19, the Eagles improved to 13-20, finishing fifth in the 12-team OVC with an 8-10 league record and winning a game in the conference tournament.

“We are excited to make this commitment to Coach Spradlin and his staff,” Gordon said in the news release. “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.”

Spradlin came to Morehead State for the 2014-15 season after five seasons at the University of Kentucky where he spent two years as a graduate assistant before three years as the assistant director of operations.. Spradlin is a graduate of Betsy Layne High School and Alice Lloyd College — where he was a four-year letter-winning basketball player — and earned a master’s degree at UK.

This story was originally published May 29, 2019 at 11:48 AM.